Lives cannot wait

In public health, the risk of suicide is formed by the interaction of many factors, rather than a single cause.

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Mental health issues do not always present with dramatic signs. Often, changes begin slowly; an individual may lose interest in things they once enjoyed, withdraw from others, experience difficulty sleeping, feel worthless, or endure their days while carrying an invisible burden.

Therefore, suicide prevention must not wait until someone reaches a point of crisis. It must operate much earlier, when changes are still recognisable, help is still reachable, and there is still room for intervention to change the course of events.

Every 10 September, the world commemorates World Suicide Prevention Day. This observance was initiated in 200_3 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention alongside the World Health Organization. The year 2026 marks the third and final year of the 2024–2026 triennial theme, “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”, with the call to “Start the Conversation”.

The message is not merely an invitation to talk. Changing the narrative means changing how society, healthcare services, schools, media, workplaces, families, and governments respond to psychological suffering. Those who are struggling do not need labels; they need a pathway to help.

Not merely a personal issue

The WHO estimates that approximately 727,000 people died by suicide in 2021. In the same year, suicide was the third leading cause of death among the 15–29 age group, while approximately 73 per cent of deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries.

These figures debunk the assumption that suicide is merely an individual matter of being “unable to cope with life”. In public health, suicide risk is formed by the interaction of many factors, not a single cause. Mental health conditions, trauma, violence, loss, relationship conflicts, substance use, chronic illness or pain, loneliness, discrimination, economic pressure, social environment, and access to services can all influence one another.

Because these factors are layered, prevention cannot rely on a single entry point. Psychiatrists and psychologists are clearly important, but prevention also takes place in community health centres, classrooms, workplaces, communities, families, digital platforms, and even in the way the media reports on suicide cases.

In public policy, the success of prevention is not measured merely by the number of seminars or campaigns, but by how quickly those in need of help can be identified, reached, referred, and followed up. The best prevention works before a situation escalates into an emergency.

Early detection must become a new habit.