WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY - 10 SEPTEMBER 2019

Connect, Communicate, Care

There are approximately 23 suicides a day in South Africa (L. Schlebusch)

Suicide prevention was one of the reasons for the establishment of LifeLine, a free counselling service and a significant educator in the quest to reduce suicide and its impact. At Lifeline, all suicide calls are handled with respect, care and total confidentiality.

The suicidal person will often feel hopeless, helpless and isolated. Our Counsellors strive to establish an insightful relationship with the caller – this could well be the first time the caller has been “heard” and the first step towards healing.

World Suicide Prevention Day highlights the plight of people who feel at the end of their tether. LifeLine offers some guidelines on interacting with the suicidal person:

• Always treat talk of suicide as a serious concern
• Assess the risk – loss, depression, family history, abuse and substance abuse are high risk factors
• Empathise – don’t try to argue or talk the person out of it
• Talk openly – we often skirt around the issue out of fear that we will make it worse. In fact, addressing the issue of suicide means we are taking it seriously

Counselling Line: 021 4611111WhatsApp Call: 063 709 262009h30 to 22h00 daily

Appointment for face to face counselling: 021 4611113Website: www.lifelinewc.org.za