Samaritans Awareness Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Suicide Worldwide

Samaritans Awareness Day is an annual campaign conducted on July 24 to highlight the significance of lending a listening ear to those experiencing mental health issues.

The background of Samaritans Awareness Day

Chad Varah founded the Samaritans foundation in the U.K. in 1953. He was a vicar and cartoonist who offered to counsel his parishioners and placed an emphasis on listening to their problems. As a result of numerous obstacles in their lives, the majority of parishioners who approached him had suicidal thoughts. As a result, the vicar Varah felt compelled to assist suicidal individuals in a greater capacity.

In the same year, he would establish a suicide hotline that would later become the Samaritan’s Foundation. Today, Samaritans is the United Kingdom’s preeminent self-help organisation for depression sufferers.

Depression is one of the most severe mental disorders in the globe. Depression is estimated to affect up to 280 million people worldwide, including 4.5% of adults in the United Kingdom. Therefore, Samaritans Awareness Day endeavours to emphasise the importance of listening to depressed or suicidal individuals.

There are numerous causes of depression, including stress, family, societal pressures, anxiety, loneliness, loss, and disillusionment. Suicidal thoughts can arise when a person concludes that they are ultimately unable to handle their problems and, as a result, questions their reason for existing. Depression often goes unnoticed, but its effects are pervasive, affecting one’s ability to function, operate, interact with others, and grow.

Even though it is a severe and debilitating illness, it is still treatable. It is crucial that you listen to someone who is depressed or has suicidal inclinations if you know them.

To be a good listener, one must pause and contemplate why the individual is experiencing these emotions. Not interrupting their request or pointing out any errors in their explanation can help them feel heard and more willing to communicate. It is essential to adopt a nonjudgmental stance. This can help the individual develop a sense of security that reassures them there is a place or person they can confide in.

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5 FACTS ABOUT SUICIDE WORLDWIDE

According to World Health Organisation data from 2021, more than 700,000 people commit suicide annually across the globe.

Suicide is the leading cause of mortality among 15 to 19-year-olds.

Up to 77% of suicides worldwide occur in low- and middle-income nations.

Men have a suicide rate that is twice that of women and is typically greater among older individuals.

In 2019, the African nation of Lesotho had the highest suicide rate in the globe, with 24.4 suicides per 100,000 people.

SAMARITANS AWARENESS DAY DATES