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Home >> Mental Illness >> AASRA - HELPING PEOPLE IN DESPAIR



AASRA - HELPING PEOPLE IN DESPAIR
A4, TANWAR VIEW COOP. HSG. SOCIETY,
PLOT NO. 43, SECTOR -7, KOPARKHAIRANE,
NAVI MUMBAI 400 709, INDIA.
TEL: HELPLINE : 27546669(3PM TO 9PM)
OFFICE :27546667(3PM TO 9PM)koparkhairane, navi mumbai-400709

address has changed. please note- new adddress- 104, sunrise arcade, plot 100, sector 16 ,

website: www.aasra.info


Website: www.befriendersindia.org
email: aasrahelpline@yahoo.com

(REGISTERED WITH COMMISSIONER FOR CHARITABLE TRUSTS, GOVT. OF MAHARASHTRA,
REGN. NO. E 2047)

Re: Invitation for programs commemorating 'World Suicide prevention Day'

Dear Sir/Madam,

Aasra is a crisis intervention center for the lonely, distressed and suicidal. Aasra functions as a unit of Befrienders India / Samaritans and is registered as a Public Charity under the Bombay Charity Act, 1960(Registration No. E 2047). Befrienders India/Samaritans is recognised by The United Nations and has been working in the field of crisis intervention/ areas of emotional and mental health since 1960. Aasra is the only help line in Navi Mumbai and started functioning from 13 September 1998.

It's September again and we, as co-representatives of suicide intervention services world-wide, try to focus attention of media / public in an effort to minimize suicides in society. WHO & IASP (International Association of Suicide Prevention) have designated September 10th as World Suicide Prevention Day and this day is commemorated all over the world by NGO's and
institutions working for the prevention of suicides.

Stop a Suicide, Today!,
"The tragedy of suicide is that it is a fatal, irreversible response to a reversible condition, usually depression, which can be treated," "Stop a Suicide, Today! is aimed at creating awareness of the need for non-critical understanding & compassion while dealing with a person undergoing suicidal crisis!

More than 70 percent of those who kill themselves typically express the wish to do so a week prior to committing suicide, according to a study conducted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Center for Suicide Research and Prevention.

The best way to stop a suicide is by being a Friend to someone in distress.
By being a friend we mean; Caring, Concerned, Compassionate, Confidential, Empathethetic, Understanding, Responsive. SHOW YOU CARE!

World Suicide Prevention Day, organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), focuses on encouraging the public, communities, societies, individuals, professionals and volunteers to conduct activities on the day to promote and demonstrate joint responsibility for saving lives that would otherwise be lost to suicide.

As part of this endeavour,this year too, AASRA has organized a few activities and notable among them are the public rally on 10th September at 5.00 pm, beginning from Koparkhairane and passing through most of the nodes of Navi Mumbai. The objective of the rally is to stress the importance of 'world Suicide Prevention Day' and to create awareness of services that
could be availed of for prevention of suicide. Volunteers will interact with the public on the streets, distributing appropriate handouts and alerting them to the need to express feelings and talk openly about their problems.

The second program is a Seminar-debate scheduled for 13th September,2005 , Time: 5.30 to 9.00 pm at IWSA's ICICI Multi-purpose hall, IWSA Campus, Plot No 20, Sector 10A, Vashi, near Balaji Mandir, Navi Mumbai-400703. tel:
27653391.

Theme: 'Intolerance in Civil society'

The seminar will be addressed by Panelists comprising of leading personalities from differing backgrounds, namely; Journalist ,Educator, Mental Health professional and Human Rights activist.
The Seminar will be conducted in three segments- 'Intolerance and society', 'Intolerance relating to Human Rights issues' and the final segment will be 'Intolerance relating to suicide'. The seminar will be moderated by an efficient moderator.

The program will be interspersed with brief entertainment by talented unsung artists. The program is designed to be interactive, informative and will also be an occasion for civil expression. Questions and doubts raised by the public would be addressed by the esteemed panelists.

AASRA, takes this opportunity to invite one and all to both the programs. Your wholehearted support and attendance on these occasions will go a long way in focusing public attention on 'Suicide' as a social ill and could act as a catalyst to framing a public health policy effort to curb the alarming rise in suicides in our state and country.

For further details , please contact Johnson -9820466726/27546667

Thanking You,

Regards,

JThomas

Johnson Thomas
Director.

Befrienders India

(National Association of Suicide Prevention Centres in India)
C/o SNEHA, 7, Besant Road, Royapettah, Chennai - 600 014
www.befriendersindia.org

PRESS RELEASE

Another life lost every 40 seconds.

Suicide prevention - everyone's business.

Suicide means nearly one million deaths in the world a year. Another life lost - which could have been saved - every 40 seconds.

That's why 'Prevention of suicide is everybody's business' has been chosen as the theme for the September 10th World Suicide Prevention Day 2005.

Befrienders India supports World Suicide Prevention Day through its vision for a society where less people die by suicide.

And its beliefs are that being confidentially listened to and accepted without prejudice can alleviate despair and suicidal feelings.

Befrienders India has 9 centers in India and has 50,000 contacts with people in emotional distress each year. It has 500 trained volunteers and runs a unique service every day of the year.

Befrienders India is also part of Befrienders Worldwide which has more than 1,200 member centres in 61 countries staffed by almost 100,000 volunteers.

These volunteers work to give emotional help and reduce suicide.

Their work stretches from Zimbabwe to Japan, from Lithuania to Brazil, and the Befrienders Worldwide network shares information and also links with external contacts to share experience and demonstrate the role of volunteer suicide reduction centres.

Integral to this is the Befrienders Worldwide website - being up-dated in time for World Suicide Prevention Day that lists helplines around the world and information on suicide in 14 languages. The site - www.befrienders.org - attracts 60,000 visitors a month.

Befrienders India centers are linking any local initiatives or events they are holding around September 10th to World Suicide Prevention Day. Some have chosen to hold their own local media conferences linked with other agencies involved in the issue of suicide reduction, some are holding suicide awareness programme, while others are holding vigils.

Befrienders Worldwide branches have also chosen to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.

Befrienders India
(National Association of Suicide Prevention Centres in India)
C/o SNEHA, 7, Besant Road, Royapettah, Chennai - 600 014
www.befriendersindia.org

In India according to National Crime Records Bureau 110,417 people committed suicide in the year 2002, which is 1.8% more than compared to 2001., a suicide is committed every five minutes. Seven times that number attempt to take their lives and as for those who feel desperate and unable to cope, the number is mind boggling. More suicides occur between 18 and 45 - in other words in the most productive age group of our society.

Suicide estimates suggest fatalities worldwide could rise to 1.5 million by 2020. Suicide is a largely preventable public health problem, causing almost half of all violent deaths as well as economic costs in the billions of dollars, says the WHO.

In its third successful year, World Suicide Prevention Day, a collaboration between the International Association for Suicide Prevention IASP and the WHO is being held to focus attention and call for global action - see www.iasp.info

Dr Catherine Le Galès-Camus, WHO Assistant-Director General, Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health said: "World-wide, more people die from suicide than from all homicides and wars combined. There is an urgent need for co-ordinated and intensified global action to prevent this needless toll. For every suicide death there are scores of family and
friends whose lives are devastated emotionally, socially and economically."

Among countries reporting suicide, the highest rates are found in Eastern Europe and the lowest are found mostly in Latin America, in Muslim countries and in a few of the Asian countries. There are estimated to be 10-20 times the number of deaths in failed suicide attempts, resulting in injury, emotional and mental trauma, although no reliable data is available on its
full extent.

Suicide rates tend to increase with age, but there has recently been an alarming increase in suicidal behaviours amongst young people aged 15 to 25 years old, worldwide. With the exception of rural China, more men than women commit suicide, although in most places more women than men attempt suicide.

Volunteer centres find much in common, with people's issues including relationships, bereavement, money problems, depression and general health worries - whether they are farmers in a poor district in India where crops have failed, or students in Japan under pressure to succeed.

Volunteers around the World work in providing emotional support to people in emotional crisis around the world. This group of people in emotional need is recognised by the WHO as increasing in size and needing improved responses.

For Befrienders India
Sd/-
(P.V.Sankaranarayanan)
Secretary

Befrienders India

(National Association of Suicide Prevention Centres in India)
C/o SNEHA, 7, Besant Road, Royapettah, Chennai - 600 014
www.befriendersindia.org

UK Statistics: www.samaritans.org provide statistics for the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

International Statistics: World Health Organisation - for international suicide statistics, including the most recent global statistics by country.

USA Statistics: American Association of Suicidology - for USA suicide statistics.

New Zealand Statistics: New Zealand Health Information Service - for NZ Statistics. There is also specific information about NZ youth suicide statistics.

Australia Statistics: Youth suicide in Australia

Canada Statistics: Canada Statistics Agency - for Canadian suicide statistics.

www.samaritans.org

Mind useful fact sheets on suicide statistics
University of Oxford Centre for suicide research
Office for National Statistics - trends in suicide rates

World Health Organisation

www.befrienders.org

www.iasp.info

http://www.lifeline.org.au/

http://www.lifeline.web.za/

http://www.ifotes.org

www.ltn08080.org


Notes to editors
Befrienders India is a registered society, founded in 1992, which offers emotional support to anyone in emotional distress through its centers in India. The centers are run entirely by volunteers and the services are totally free. Befrienders India's vision is for a society where fewer people die by suicide because people are able to share feelings of emotional distress openly without fear of being judged. It believes that offering people the opportunity to be listened to in confidence, and accepted without prejudice, can alleviate despair and suicidal feelings. It is the aim of Befrienders India to make emotional health a mainstream issue. The service is offered by 500 trained volunteers and is entirely dependent on voluntary support.


B E F R I E N D E R S I N D I A C E N T R E


(Caring for the Depressed, Desperate and the Suicidal)

President
Sumaitri, New Delhi 011 23710763 Daily 2 pm - 10 pm

Farrokh Jijina Lifeline, Kolkatta
033 24745886 Daily 10 am - 7 pm

Sahara - Mumbai. Sahara, Mumbai 022
23074351 Weekdays 3pm - 9pm,

Weekends 10am - 9pm

Aasra, Navi Mumbai 022
27546669 Daily 3 pm - 9 pm

Secretary Saath, Ahmedabad 079
26305544 Daily 1 pm - 7 pm

P.V. Sankaranarayanan Sneha, Chennai 044
28352345 Daily 8 am - 10 pm

Sneha - Chennai. Maitreyi, Pondicherry 0423
2339999 Daily 2 pm - 8 pm

Roshni, Secunderabad 040 55202000 Daily 11 am - 9 pm

Maithri - Kochi 0484 2396272 Daily 10 am - 8 pm


Suicide estimates suggest fatalities worldwide could rise to 1.5 million by 2020. Suicide is a largely preventable public health problem, causing almost half of all violent deaths as well as economic costs in the billions of dollars, says the WHO.

In its third successful year, World Suicide Prevention Day, a collaboration between the International Association for Suicide Prevention IASP and the WHO is being held to focus attention and call for global action - see www.iasp.info

Dr Catherine Le Galès-Camus, WHO Assistant-Director General, Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health said: "World-wide, more people die from suicide than from all homicides and wars combined. There is an urgent need for co-ordinated and intensified global action to prevent this needless toll. For every suicide death there are scores of family and
friends whose lives are devastated emotionally, socially and economically."
Among countries reporting suicide, the highest rates are found in Eastern Europe and the lowest are found mostly in Latin America, in Muslim countries and in a few of the Asian countries. There are estimated to be 10-20 times the number of deaths in failed suicide attempts, resulting in injury, emotional and mental trauma, although no reliable data is available on its
full extent.
Suicide rates tend to increase with age, but there has recently been an alarming increase in suicidal behaviours amongst young people aged 15 to 25 years old, worldwide. With the exception of rural China, more men than women commit suicide, although in most places more women than men attempt suicide.

Suicide helpline volunteers worldwide will also be represented in Durban, South Africa at the World Suicide Congress hosted by the IASP.

The theme of the 2005 Congress is Scaling the Summit: Suicidal Behaviour in Diverse Cultures and it will be held from September 12thth to 16th.

Samaritans will be represented at the Congress by chief executive David King, chair Daphne Pullen and international officer Deborah Brodie.

Samaritans will present a joint plenary with volunteer partners the International Federation of Telephone Emergency Services (IFOTES) and Lifeline International.

The title of the plenary is 'Prevention or Promotion' and the objective is to illustrate the unique role of volunteer emotional support services and recognise their shift from focusing on suicide prevention to promotion of wider emotional health issues.

Volunteers work in very diverse cultures and regions. Whether they use telephones or talk under a tree in a remote village they have all come to the same conclusion. They have found that although starting out as suicide prevention groups an enormous part of their work has now shifted to supporting people who were not necessarily suicidal (although they may become so), but who are in severe distress.

Centres providing an email service often have no idea whether the person is emailing from 20 or 2,000 miles away, or what nationality they are - in all of these the key process of listening in a non-judgemental way remains the same.

Volunteer centres find much in common, with people's issues including relationships, bereavement, money problems, depression and general health worries - whether they are farmers in a poor district in India where crops have failed, or students in Japan under pressure to succeed.

Volunteers around the World work in providing emotional support to people in emotional crisis around the world. This group of people in emotional need is recognised by the WHO as increasing in size and needing improved responses.

UK Statistics: www.samaritans.org provide statistics for the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

International Statistics: World Health Organisation - for international suicide statistics, including the most recent global statistics by country.

USA Statistics: American Association of Suicidology - for USA suicide statistics.

New Zealand Statistics: New Zealand Health Information Service - for NZ Statistics. There is also specific information about NZ youth suicide statistics.

Australia Statistics: Youth suicide in Australia

Canada Statistics: Canada Statistics Agency - for Canadian suicide statistics.

www.samaritans.org

Mind useful fact sheets on suicide statistics University of Oxford Centre for suicide research Office for National Statistics - trends in suicide rates

World Health Organisation

www.befrienders.org
www.iasp.info
http://www.lifeline.org.au/
http://www.lifeline.web.za/
http://www.ifotes.org
www.ltn08080.org

Samaritans is a registered charity, founded in 1953, which offers 24-hour confidential emotional support to anyone in emotional distress. Samaritans' vision is for a society where fewer people die by suicide because people are able to share feelings of emotional distress openly without fear of being judged. Samaritans believes that offering people the opportunity to be listened to in confidence, and accepted without prejudice, can alleviate despair and suicidal feelings. It is the aim of Samaritans to make emotional health a mainstream issue. The service is offered by 17,600 trained volunteers and is entirely dependent on voluntary support.

Across the UK, you can call Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 (1850 60 90 90 in the Republic of Ireland) for the price of a local call. You can also write to Samaritans at Chris, PO Box 9090, Stirling, FK8 2SA, send an e-mail to jo@samaritans.org or if you are deaf or hard of hearing use the single national minicom number 08457 90 91 92 (1850 60 90 91 in the Republic of
Ireland).






It is one of the beautiful compensations of this life that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping himself. --Charles Dudley Warner