Made by Hylton Craig Upshon

1. SUICIDE
INTERVENTION
IMPACT
& STRATEGIES

2. SUICIDE PREVENTION
Saving lives…

3. Looking at my family, I say my last good-bye.
“I’m sorry I disappointed you, Dad.
Mommy, please don’t cry. I didn’t mean to hurt
you, or cause you any pain.
I’m sorry all you’re left with is a grave that
bears my name.
I’m sorry all your dreams for me have all been
ripped away,
The plans for my future now buried in a grave.
It was a stupid thing to do,
I wish I could take it back.
But the curtain is being lowered now.
So ends my final act.”
- Lisa Teller

4. DO WE REALLY NEED TO WORRY ABOUT
SUICIDE?
 Of the half million people dying yearly
worldwide, 20% are Indians
 The numbers are so high that every 5
minutes, someone in this country
intentionally ends his/her life
 Over 40% of individuals
dying of suicide are below
30 years of age

5. SOME FACTS…
 “Young people never think of
suicide. They have their entire life
ahead of them.” It is a MYTH.
 The FACT is: Suicide is the second
leading cause of death for young
people aged 15-24. Sometimes,
children under the age of 10 die by
suicide too.

6. SOME FACTS CONTD…
 90% of the people who die from suicide
are suffering from a major psychiatric
state, especially depression and
substance abuse
 50% of the times, adolescents
communicate their intent to family
members, friends and significant others

7. STEP 1:
UNDERSTANDING WARNING
SIGNS

8. SOME COMMON EXTERNAL CAUSES WHICH CAN
CONTRIBUTE TO A TENDENCY OF SUICIDE
 Experience of a personal loss
 Alcohol or drug abuse
 Unhealthy relationship or break-up
 Consistently performing poorly in exams
 Lack of harmony in the family, sibling
rivalry
 Sudden mental/physical disability or
disorder
 Bullying or teasing, over a sustained

9. WARNING SIGNS
 Complaining of sadness, fatigue,
low energy, hopelessness and emptiness
 Statements and jokes about death/suicide
 Losing interest in activities once enjoyed
 Having weird thoughts, signs of
hallucinations – it can indicate drug or
alcohol abuse
 Not responding to praise like before

10. WARNING SIGNS
 Increase in physical ailments – aches,
nausea, indigestion, sweaty palms
 Sleeping too less or too much, having
nightmares
 Major changes in appetite and weight
 Neglect of appearance

11. WARNING SIGNS
 Signs of self-harm such as
cuts or burns
 Social withdrawal and staying
aloof most of the time
 Having no friends or few friends
 Personality style –
not sharing feelings and ideas

12. WARNING SIGNS
 Problems in concentration, thinking and
decreased decisiveness
 Emotional outbursts – aggressive
expression of anger and hatred, crying or
over-reacting to things
 Throwing away important possessions
 Verbal hints like “I won’t cause a problem
much longer”.
 Changes in motor behavior –
sluggishness or fidgety restlessness

13. STEP 2:
PROVIDING IMMEDIATE HELP

14. TEACHER AS A COUNSELOR
 T TEACH THEM WHAT YOU BELIEVE
 A ASK THEM QUESTIONS
ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE HAVING
PROBLEM SHARING WITH YOU
 L LISTEN TO WHAT ADOLESCENT
HAS TO SAY
 K KINDLE A DESIRE IN YOUR
TEENAGER TO ASK YOUR OPINION
 Responsibility
 Bullying
 Appreciating
differences
 Gender Issues
 Sensitivity
 Leadership
 Focus and
Concentration
 Study skills
 Goal Setting
 Time Management
 Respecting self &
others
SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT CAN BE DISCUSSED
IN GROUP COUNSELING & WORKSHOPS

15. LIFE SKILL WORKSHOPS
“It was an important and encouraging program for
me. It has promoted and generated our hope and
helped us to have a positive attitude in life. Umeed
is a very good organization, which is helping us and
taking us to the right track.”
From this workshop I realized all the bad things
inside me. It came as a flashback, of what wrong I
have done earlier. I am feeling very sorry for all of
them whom I spoke badly to. I am eager to bring a
positive attitude – “I can do” and “I will do”!
“I am happy to attend this session. It has given me
so much thought. I was so ashamed that no one in
my family is educated, but today I feel proud of
them. I will complete my education and take my
parents’ name higher.”

16. THROUGH GROUP COUNSELING TEACHERS
CAN GAIN
Practical
Understandi
ng
Minimizin
g
resistanc
e to
change
Insight
into the
child’s
psyche
Executing
successful
change
strategies
Reducing
dissatisfactio
n
Acceptance
of new
thoughts
HAPPY
SELF

18. THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY …..UMMEED!
PART 1
Basic Counselling Skills
For Counselors, Social Workers and Allied Professionals

19. LIFE SKILL WORKSHOPS
“Sometimes we hide our inner beauty, and due to
situations we have a fake attitude and fear in mind
that if we really do what we think, we will be
misunderstood or not be respected; thus we will
never want to come out and share our true
feelings, and instead feel suffocated. After this
program , I hope that we will now be able to accept
each other and share and listen.”
“I have always been scared of speaking in front of
others because they can make fun of me. But today
I have learned about self-respect, and what I can
do. I would like to talk to you ma’am and fight my
fear forever.”

20. REMEMBER!
Prevention may be a matter of a caring person
with the right knowledge being available in
the right place at the right time.