In suicide prevention, sometimes all it takes to save a life is a minute of your time
Paul Yip says preventing the tragedy of a suicide isn’t a job only for the experts. Everyone can help by being available to the people around us who are going through hard times. Providing care at a critical moment saves lives
Sunday is World Suicide Prevention Day. The theme for this year is to “Take a Minute, Change a Life”. Our centre, the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, launched a one-minute-video competition to mark the day, with the support of the Community Partner Foundation. We received many enlightening entries on how we can be guardian angels to others.
The winning video features a police negotiator’s work to save lives. For people contemplating suicide, the most critical period is during their last minute of life: if someone could intervene at that point, there is a chance of stopping that person.
Kevin Hines, one of very few people who survived after jumping off San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, shared that, in the last minute as he was wandering along the bridge before he jumped, if someone had showed some concern, he would have changed his mind. Since his miraculous survival, Hines has been championing suicide prevention activities worldwide.
Kevin Hines: I jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge
Suicide prevention is not just something experts can do; everyone can help. Sometimes, taking a minute to help those in need really can save a life.
Suicide is still a major public health concern. There are about 800,000 suicides every year worldwide. It is the leading cause of death among teenagers.
In Hong Kong, we estimate that 12.6 per 100,000 people died of suicide last year, based on the latest figures provided by the Coroner's Court.
Seeking help is not a sign of weakness; rather, it is sign of strength to deal with the problem
To enable a meaningful comparison of suicide rates among different countries and regions, the figures are standardised and adjusted for the age structure. After such adjustments, our age-standardised suicide rate is estimated to be 8 per 100,000 people, The global rate is 10.7 per 100,000.