· Suicide is the act of intentionally or deliberately terminating one's own life.

Every year there are approximately 30,000 suicides in the United States (NIPC, 2000) and one million worldwide (WHO, 1999).
For the past 100 years, the number of reported suicide has been higher than homicides, by approximately three to two.

SOME STARTLING EYE OPENERS

Every 40 seconds a person commits suicide in the world.
Every 3 seconds a person attempts to die.
Suicide is one of the top three causes of death among the young in the age group of 15 – 35 years.
Each suicide has a serious impact on at least 6 other people.
The psychological, social and financial impact of suicide on the family and the society is immeasurable.

According to World Health Organization

In the year 2000, approximately one million people died from suicide: a "global" mortality rate of 16 per 100,000, or one death every 40 seconds.
In the last 45 years suicide rates have increased by 60% worldwide. Suicide is now among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15-44 years (both sexes); these figures do not include suicide attempts up to 20 times more frequent than completed suicide.
Suicide worldwide is estimated to represent 1.8% of the total global burden of disease in 1998, and 2.4% in countries with market and former socialist economies in 2020.
Although traditionally suicide rates have been highest among the male elderly, rates among young people have been increasing to such an extent that they are now the group at highest risk in a third of countries, in both developed and developing countries.

What can you do? Follow Three Basic Steps:

· Show you care

· Ask about suicide

· Get help – contact Sahayam at 040-27682451 immediately.

SAHAYAM