Washington, DC, 10 September 2020 (PAHO/WHO) - To mark World Suicide Prevention Day 2020, PAHO hosted two Facebook live “Ask the experts” sessions on preventing suicide during COVID-19 (one in English and one in Spanish) on Thursday, September 10, 2020.
The English session featured Dr. Claudina Cayetano, PAHO Regional Advisor on Mental Health; Dr. Eduardo Vega, Founder, CEO and Principal of Humannovations, a U.S. social impact organization working in mental health and suicide prevention, and a person with lived experience; and special guest Dr. Raquel Thomas-Caesar, Director of Resource Management and Training at Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development in Guyana, who also shared her lived experience with a mental health issue.
The Spanish session featured Dr. Carmen Martinez, PAHO Sub Regional Advisor on Mental Health for Central America and the Latin Caribbean; Dr. Eduardo Vega; and Dr. Carlos Fayard, Director of the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Training and Community Mental Health at the Loma Linda University.
Every September 10th since 2003, the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), promotes World Suicide Prevention Day. World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) provides the opportunity for people, across the globe, to raise awareness of suicide and suicide prevention.
The theme of World Suicide Prevention Day 2020 is “Working Together to Prevent Suicide.” This year, we find ourselves in very unexpected and challenging circumstances as we cope with the global COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of COVID-19 has likely had an effect on the mental wellbeing of all us. This is normal and understandable. And so, this year, more than ever, during COVID-19, it is crucial that we work together to prevent suicide.
