A crisis support provider says there has been an increase in cases of attempted suicide since the COVID-19 outbreak.
Lifeline Fiji team leader Jeremiah Merekula highlighted this during the Young Community Leader Training at the University of the South Pacific in Suva yesterday.
The NGO also identified 15 communities in the Central Division as being red zone areas with increasing numbers of attempted suicide cases, crimes and other related social issues.
Mr Merekula said they received 300 calls from people attempting suicide since the pandemic outbreak last year and calls they receive on a monthly basis had doubled.
He said 60 per cent of people who committed suicide were youths.
Lifeline Fiji says it received 300 calls for attempted suicide alone during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak last year, doubling the number of calls they receive on a monthly basis.
Team leader Jeremiah Merekula said although they noted a decrease in the number of suicide cases in the past two years, the increase in attempted suicide cases continued to worry them.
“We see that Fijians are starting to reach out for help, starting to take care of their mental health and they know there is assistance available,” he said.
Mr Merekula highlighted that 60 per cent of people that committed suicide were youths.
“That is a concern for all of us even though numbers have decreased over the last two years.”
He said the organisation also received calls from students who struggled with their studies and parents struggling with children at home.
Meanwhile, Lifeline Fiji says on average we lose 110 Fijians to suicide annually.
It stated that it is estimated that for every completed suicide, there are 20 attempts made.
