Skip to main content
HomeSpecialistsBusinessBlogContact us
العربيةFor care providersBook a session
Skip to article text

World Suicide Prevention Day: turning awareness into action

Sultan AlmuhasinMedical review: Tatmeen team6 min read
تقويم مكتبي بلون أخضر داكن، تملأ مربعاته شرائط صفراء معقودة على خلفية صفراء.
Article contents
  1. Do not reduce someone's life to one cause
  2. What can institutions do?
  3. What makes an awareness campaign trustworthy?
  4. How can everyday conversations change?
  5. Frequently Asked Questions
  6. Sources and references
  7. Writer and reviewer

If you or someone else is in immediate danger of self-harm, or an attempt or injury has occurred, call an ambulance on 997 in Saudi Arabia and follow the dispatcher's instructions. If you are with the person, stay with them if you can do so safely and seek help immediately. The Ministry of Health's 937 service provides medical consultation and guidance around the clock. Do not delay calling an ambulance in immediate danger1 while waiting for a consultation or appointment.

World Suicide Prevention Day takes place on 10 September each year. Its theme for 2024–20263 is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”: moving from silence and stigma towards understanding and support, while giving prevention a place in policy and making care accessible.

The day's value also lies in what remains afterwards. An awareness event can end while an employee still does not know how to seek confidential help, or a student has no clear person to contact during a crisis. Prevention therefore involves clear responsibilities and services, alongside the words we use.

Do not reduce someone's life to one cause

WHO describes suicide as influenced by interacting social, cultural, biological, psychological and environmental factors. Experiences such as violence, loss, isolation and life stresses are associated with suicidal behaviour4, but none alone explains what a particular person is going through.

We can discuss poverty, unemployment or conflict as conditions that deserve action without attributing an assumed wish to die to people affected by them. A mental-health diagnosis is not an inevitable prediction either. Knowing a risk factor does not let us read an individual's intentions or summarize their story.

A person may find important support in family, community or faith and also need professional care. If they disclose suicidal thoughts, take their distress seriously and help them reach care without blame or questioning their faith.

What can institutions do?

WHO's LIVE LIFE initiative includes identifying, assessing, caring for and following up people who need help; developing adolescents' social and emotional skills; responsible media reporting; and policies and environments that limit access to means of harm. These approaches require collaboration, funding and monitoring across sectors4.

The following are practical examples institutions can discuss when turning awareness into action. They are not an individual risk checklist or a substitute for professional assessment:

Setting Work that can be organized and followed up
Health service Explain how to seek help, who is responsible for referral and follow-up after a crisis, and what happens outside normal hours.
School or university Identify a service students can reach, train relevant staff in referral, and review responses to bullying and violence.
Workplace Provide a confidential support route, explain how urgent concerns are handled, and address harmful working conditions rather than relying only on messages telling staff to cope.
Newsroom or content team Review headlines, images and language; avoid sensationalism, descriptions of methods6 and single-cause explanations; include reliable help information.
Social or community service Help people access available support and coordinate assistance for violence or financial crises, without making the family solely responsible.

Shared responsibility does not turn a school or workplace manager into a therapist. Their role is to understand the limits of their task, listen without blame, connect someone with appropriate help and call emergency services in immediate danger.

What makes an awareness campaign trustworthy?

Before publishing a message or arranging an event, a team can ask three questions:

  1. Where will we direct someone who asks for help? The service and access route should be clear, with consultation or appointments distinguished from immediate emergency action.
  2. What will happen if someone discloses distress? Identify who responds, the limits of confidentiality and the referral pathway. Do not promise absolute confidentiality that the campaign cannot provide.
  3. What change will we review afterwards? It might be staff knowledge of referral routes or the removal of a specific access barrier. Views alone do not demonstrate reduced risk or successful prevention.

A campaign does not need public personal stories to prove that an institution cares. People with lived experience can be heard voluntarily and in ways that protect their privacy, without disclosure becoming a condition of participation or pressure to speak for others.

How can everyday conversations change?

Someone may say they cannot bear what they are going through any longer. A helpful response begins by taking their words seriously, allowing space to talk and looking for help with them, rather than judging them or demanding gratitude. A short awareness message can say, “You can ask for help, and here is how to reach it,” without promising that everything will quickly disappear.

Changing the narrative also means recognizing what we know and what we do not. We should not speak for someone about their motives, assign blame to a family without evidence, or promise that one activity will prevent every crisis.

For World Suicide Prevention Day, an institution can choose a specific step that continues beyond the occasion: a published help pathway, referrals that are followed up, training its team needs, or an access barrier it will address. Someone who needs support then has a clearer route, and awareness becomes part of an ongoing responsibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is World Suicide Prevention Day?

World Suicide Prevention Day takes place on 10 September each year. Its theme for 2024–2026 is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”: moving from silence and stigma towards understanding and support, while giving prevention a place in policy and making care accessible. The day's value also lies in what remains afterwards, such as a published help pathway or referrals that are followed up.

What should I do if someone is in immediate danger of self-harm?

If you or someone else is in immediate danger of self-harm, or an attempt or injury has occurred, call an ambulance on 997 in Saudi Arabia and follow the dispatcher's instructions. If you are with the person, stay with them if you can do so safely and seek help immediately. The Ministry of Health's 937 service provides medical consultation and guidance around the clock, but do not delay calling an ambulance in immediate danger while waiting for a consultation or appointment.

How should I respond when someone says they cannot bear it any longer?

A helpful response begins by taking their words seriously, allowing space to talk and looking for help with them, rather than judging them or demanding gratitude. If they disclose suicidal thoughts, take their distress seriously and help them reach care without blame or questioning their faith. If they are in immediate danger of self-harm, or an attempt or injury has occurred, call an ambulance on 997 in Saudi Arabia and follow the dispatcher's instructions. Stay with them if you can do so safely and seek help immediately. Do not delay calling an ambulance while waiting for a consultation or appointment.

What can schools and workplaces do to prevent suicide?

An institution can choose a specific step that continues beyond the occasion. A school or university can identify a service students can reach and train relevant staff in referral. A workplace can provide a confidential support route and address harmful working conditions rather than relying only on messages telling staff to cope. A manager does not become a therapist: their role is to listen without blame, connect someone with appropriate help and call emergency services in immediate danger.

Is there a single cause of suicide?

No. WHO describes suicide as influenced by interacting social, cultural, biological, psychological and environmental factors. Experiences such as violence, loss, isolation and life stresses are associated with suicidal behaviour, but none alone explains what a particular person is going through. A mental-health diagnosis is not an inevitable prediction, and knowing a risk factor does not let us read an individual's intentions or summarize their story.

Writing and article review

Sultan AlmuhasinWritten bySultan Almuhasin

Content writer and researcher at Tatmeen, working on Arabic and English articles across mental health and everyday life topics, including relationships, stress, work, habits, and family.

Tatmeen teamMedical reviewTatmeen team

Every Tatmeen article is reviewed by care providers licensed by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, so what you read is accurate and trustworthy.

How we write and reviewSpotted an error? Tell us

This article builds understanding and does not replace a licensed care provider.

Need someone to talk to?

Tatmeen's licensed care providers are available around the clock, and the app's urgent consultation connects you with one within minutes.

Talk to a care provider

In immediate danger?

If you or someone you know is in danger, call an ambulance on 997 or go to the nearest emergency department.

Emergency numbers

Was this article helpful?

Add us to Google
All articles

Talk to a care provider

Your session, remotely and your way: voice, video or text.

  • Licensed by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties
  • Available around the clock
  • Complete privacy and confidentiality
All care providers

One step for you, start now

Download Tatmeen to explore care providers and booking options.

  • Smart matchingFour quick questions suggest the right care provider
  • Urgent consultationTalk to an available care provider within minutes
  • Free psychological measuresMore than 20 tests to understand how you are doing

Scan to download