Belize Recognizes World Suicide Prevention Day

The event was held on the margins of World Suicide Prevention Day that is on September tenth, but is being recognized today. Suicide, although still considered taboo, continues to take place and the day is set aside to bring awareness around this mental health issue. While women are more prone to committing suicide by ingesting pills or poison, men chose a more lethal method, like a firearm. This year, the theme is “Creating Hope through Action.” Psychiatric Nurse Ingrid Bonilla speaks of the purpose of the mission behind the awareness activities during this month.

Ingrid Bonilla

Nurse Ingrid Bonilla, Mental Health Coordinator, Central Health Region

“The purpose of this is to ensure that we create that awareness and support to families that have been able to go through something like this and for those people who may be thinking of doing harm to themselves or committing suicide and for those who have committed suicide, to keep them in mind; that this is real, people go through this and that we need to do something if we are able to intervene. The key thing is that we want them to know that we are here to help; there is help that can be sought. We may not solve every situation, but the key thing is that if we are able to do something about it before it happens, those are what we want to focus on. The plan is not to bring awareness to the actual death in itself, but to create hope in those who are thinking about doing something. And for families, who have it within their family, to know that they can turn to someone. They might not know what to do, but they can turn to us to see how we can assist them. So the theme for this year is actually creating hope through action. So do something; we want to do something and create that hope.”

There are several activities being held to commemorate the day including a candlelight vigilant that will take place in front of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital tonight.