Hestia launches Suicide Prevention Toolkit to mark World Mental Health Day Hestia launches Suicide Prevention Toolkit to mark World Mental Health Day Hestia, in partnership with support charity The Listening Place, has published a new online toolkit on suicide prevention to mark annual World Mental Health Day. The toolkit, which is aimed at staff who support people who may be feeling suicidal, contains practical tips on how to start the conversation on suicide as well as maintaining staff wellbeing when they do so. Suicide prevention is the theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day awareness campaign, which takes place annually on 10th October. The co-designed toolkit stresses the importance of giving your full attention when talking to someone who you think is suicidal, but also of showing self-compassion after supporting individuals who may be in distress. According to the World Health Organisation, more than 800,000 people die by suicide a year, making it the principal cause of death among people fifteen to twenty-nine years old. Hestia’s Suicide Prevention Toolkit launched this afternoon at an event for staff and service users in Hammersmith and Fulham, where suicide rates are at least 35 per cent higher than the London average. Hestia’s Director of Operation Gayle Lowery-Jones said: “Suicide prevention work is critical and Hestia staff are in a unique position to be able to listen to people who may be struggling to find solutions to their issues, and who may feel that the permanent solution of suicide is their only way out of a temporary problem.” Listening Place CEO volunteer Paul Jackson said: “We believe a human being who cares with good listening skills, compassion, warmth and empathy can make a difference to whether someone takes their own life or not. The most important thing anyone can do to help someone with suicidal thoughts is to listen to them. This toolkit will help staff and volunteers to do just that”. Download the Suicide Prevention Toolkit Read more like this An A-Z Guide For Good Mental Wellbeing Brent community to highlight suicide prevention on World Mental Health Day Dom's* Story: "I feel like I've really come a long way" Manage Cookie Preferences