Sunday 10th September 2023 is World Suicide Prevention Day. This is an important day that focuses on raising suicide awareness, aiming to reduce stigma around the topic. The campaign this year is about Creating Hope through Action. The message surrounding the day is that suicide is preventable and each of us in society can help.
Suicide and domestic abuse
Determining if there are specific, identifiable reasons why people are contemplating suicide can aid prevention. Research into the link between suicide and domestic abuse has revealed staggering results. According to the domestic abuse charity, SafeLives, an estimated 30 women attempt suicide every day due to domestic abuse, and 3 women take their own lives every week.
A 2018 University of Warwick study looked at more than 3,500 women who were supported by a domestic abuse charity. Researchers discovered that 24% of the women had felt suicidal at one time or another, and 83% reported feelings of hopelessness and despair. Beyond this, 18% of the women had actively planned to take their own lives.
These results are undeniable and show that domestic abuse can pose not only a physical risk from the perpetrator, but also significant emotional and psychological effects which carry their own additional risks.
Creating hope through action
The work that we do in PARAGON aims to reduce domestic abuse and to raise awareness and understanding around it. We do this by creating safety plans, offering emotional support, supporting to improve empowerment and self-esteem, providing education around domestic abuse and supporting people to flee if this is what they would like to do. We also address feelings of depression and suicidal ideation in our assessment and signpost to appropriate services that are able to support with this.
If you are feeling suicidal, help is available. Call Samaritans at 116 123 or text SHOUT to 85258.
