Know suicidal signs to stop people from killing themselves

A rising number of suicide and homicide cases this year is proof that the city is living on the edge. In order to fight depression and stress that ails a large number of people, Vandrewal Foundation — one of the biggest suicide helplines — along with LTMG Sion Hospital has decided to sensitise sections like taxi drivers, maids and community leaders about suicide.
They will be trained to notice suicidal tendencies among the depressed The project is likely to start in Dharavi on December 7.
Dr Suleman Merchant, acting dean of Sion Hospital who initiated the project, said: "Spotting signs of distress are the best way to prevent suicides/homicides. For example, in a recent case where a nurse of Asian Heart Institute committed suicide, the tell-tale sign was her asking for a blade since morning. If her colleagues and friends had noticed it, they could have saved a life."
The group will be working closely with taxi and autorickshaw unions, the railway police, ticket checkers, maids, the bar council, mohalla committees etc.
"These people are in contact with many and there are high chances of them meeting a person who shows suicidal tendencies. We are going to sensitise and train these people who can later act as counsellors and intervene at the right moment to save lives," Merchant said.
The project will start from Dharavi. "We get a lot of suicide cases from Dharavi. We therefore thought of beginning from here. Dr Nilesh Shah and Dr Harish Shetty will be formulating a module for training community leaders. The training programme will be held on December 7," said Dr Merchant.
The helpline numbers are 1860-2662345 and 022- 2570600