10 September is World Suicide Prevention Day, the purpose of which is to raise awareness of suicide and encourage action to reduce the number of suicides and suicide attempts globally. Sadly one in every 100 deaths globally is from suicide.
Look Ahead runs over 40 mental health services so having an awareness of this issue is our bread and butter. As a manager of one of these services, our Crisis House in Tower Hamlets, I work with a high number of customers who are expressing suicidal thoughts or are at serious risk of suicide. As customers do not stay long it is vital that we identify risks and act upon them quickly; in doing so as a team we have picked up a lot of useful information and strategies on suicide prevention.
