SADAG spreads suicide awareness
IVORY PARK - The South African Depression and Anxiety Group held a talk, Teen Suicide Prevention, at Umqhele Comprehensive School in Ivory Park on 13 March.
A team of 18 counsellors from the group raised awareness of this social scourge among the school’s Grade 8 to 12 pupils.
According to Lian Taljaard, a researcher at the group, “9.5 percent of all non-natural deaths in young people are due to suicide and that 20.7 percent of teens have considered attempting suicide.”
He also stressed that youth between 15 and 19 are the most at risk for suicide.
Such talks help pupils to identify the signs and symptoms of depression, which is the leading cause of suicide.
According to Faith Motautona, a life orientation teacher at Umqhele Comprehensive School, pupils face many challenges such as poverty, peer pressure, substance abuse and family problems, and these impact on their behaviours and actions.
The group, in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development, informed pupils and teachers about the risk factors and warning signs of suicide and where to get help.
Celebrity and professional soccer player Matthew Booth also accompanied the group and engaged pupils on the importance of getting help, choosing the appropriate mentors and making the right choices. Booth is involved in various social development and community services and is a patron of the Ambassadors in Sport Hope Academy.
“Be open to support and listen to the youngsters as they need to be nurtured and guided in the right manner, and you have an important role to play in the lives of these young people,” Booth told the teachers.
Anne Rajcoomar, project co-ordinator at the group, stated that it is important for people to understand the seriousness of suicidal signs and symptoms and that there is help out there.
She encouraged pupils to contact the group via phone or SMS.
The warning signs of suicide are:
- Talking or joking about death or suicide
- Feelings of sadness, giving away prized possessions
- Withdrawal from friends and family
- Change of sleeping and eating patterns
- Loss of interest in appearance or personal hygiene
- Risk-taking behaviours such as drinking or taking drugs
- Writing poems or messages about death
Details: The South African Depression and Anxiety Group, 0800 21 22 23
0800 21 22 23, 8am to 8pm or SMS 31393.
