- The CCC Foundation on mental health and World Suicide Prevention Day
Here are some sobering statistics on Sri Lanka and suicide: 10 to 12 people die by suicide every day with over 100 people attempting suicide each day. These are statistics based on the number of incidents of suicide that are reported. In 2020, the suicide rate was 14.7 per 100,000. Even though the number of deaths have dropped down from 57 (in 1996) to 14.7 (in 2020) per 100,000 the attempts are still high considering Sri Lanka has a population of 21.8 million.
In the leadup to World Suicide Prevention Day, Brunch chatted with CCCline Manager Ranil Thilakarathne for little on how the Courage Compassion Commitment (CCC) Foundation in Sri Lanka is hoping to mark World Suicide Prevention Day this year, and why it is important to talk about mental health and suicide.
CCCline, or 1333, is a free and confidential telephone crisis support service to encourage people to talk about their problems, whether they be personal, relationship, or family issues, schools or work worries, mental illness, or suicidal thoughts. Since its inception in December 2009, 1333 has been steadily moving forward towards its goal of being a credible, accessible, and the most utilised telephone crisis support service in Sri Lanka.
1333 was established by the Courage Compassion Commitment (CCC) Foundation in partnership with Lifeline in Australia and the National Institute of Mental Health in Angoda, Sri Lanka. The CCC Foundation was established in 2003 with offices in Sri Lanka and Australia. It is a registered not-for-profit charitable organisation run by voluntary committees in Sri Lanka and Australia (Melbourne), where all funds raised goes directly to its projects.
Thilakarathne shared that 1333 has kept going throughout the pandemic, adapting to working from home, and while the number of overall calls received by 1333 has decreased (from 300-400 calls per day pre-pandemic to approximately 150-200 calls at present), the number of people in significant mental crisis, especially to the point of feeling suicidal has risen drastically, sharing that will 1333 previously used to receive 15-17 calls from people experiencing suicidal thoughts pre-pandemic, now approximately 30% of the calls 1333 receives are from people in severe emotional and mental distress looking for support and a sympathetic ear for issues ranging from critical issues like suicidal thoughts, domestic violence, and child abuse, to problems like loneliness and relationship struggles.
Thilakarathne also noted that the pandemic has seen people reach out to 1333 to discuss problems and struggles that were not as critical before.“It has changed after Covid-19,” Thilakarathne said. “The number one issue before Covid-19 used to be loneliness, followed by relationships and financial issues. Now, financial issues are still there, but there is also fear, domestic violence, and bullying being reported by callers,” he noted, adding that the feeling of fear was something that was rarely reported before.
Understandably, uncertain and troubling times like these make people more vulnerable physically and emotionally, and this World Suicide Prevention Day, the CCC Foundation with its initiative the Let’sTALK Programme is hosting Let’s Talk and Walk, a virtual walk to build awareness around suicide on 10 September, highlighting the idea of doing something that benefits both your mental and physical health at the same time by talking and walking.
The Let’sTALK Programme is a preventative and early intervention strategy to support people feel safe to talk about their ideas, concerns or distress. The programme is designed to help families, schools, universities, and workplaces build a climate of psychological safety through the power of conversation. Let’sTALK provides a structured approach to open communication to support and empower anyone through their challenges. Challenges do not only have to be mental illness related, but also everyday challenges that can escalate to bigger ones.
Thilakarathne explained that the name Let’sTALK in and of itself is and acronym that stands for creating a safe space (“Letting Everyone Talk Safely”) and a strategy for people to follow when they see a friend or loved one is in distress; Tell (seeing tell-tale signs of distress), Acknowledge (acknowledging someone’s struggles when they open up to you), Listen (listening without judgement) and Keeping in touch (gently checking in with someone to make sure they’re okay).
A larger two-week bikeathon event was planned by the CCC Foundation to take place from 29 August to 10 September to mark World Suicide Prevention Day, but this has been postponed to end September tentatively in the interest of public health and safety.
The Let’s Talk and Walk event will take place virtually, with Thilakarathne urging everyone to film themselves taking small walks around their neighbourhood in the name of suicide prevention awareness and sharing the footage of their mini-walks with the CCC Foundation and Let’sTALK to drum up awareness for suicide prevention.
It is more important than ever to discuss the tragedy and impact of suicide, and awareness is ket yo efforts to reduce the incidences of suicide. Thilakarathne shared that typically, during each year’s bikeathon held to mark World Suicide Prevention Day, the 1333 sees a drastic increase in calls to 1333 for the duration of the event, emphasisisng the power that awareness helps to prevent suicide.
Awareness leads to people reaching out for help. Awareness lets people know they can speak to their family, to their friends, or seek support through crisis support channels like 1333. “In the back of their minds, people know they can call 119 or 1990 if they are in danger or need help,” Thilakarathne said. “In the same way they should know at the back of their minds that they can reach out to someone for support in a crisis.”
Thilakarathne also said that awareness on an issue helps break down stigma, and there is a huge issue with stigma when it comes to suicide in Sri Lanka and that this needs to change. The way for this to change is for suicide, and more importantly, suicide prevention to become a national conversation.
For more information on being a part of the Let’s Talk and Walk event or to submit videos for the event, please contact the CCC Foundation on +94741302144 (WhatsApp only) before 9 September.