Empower Pacific has provided mental health and psychological support to 170 individuals who have either attempted suicide, had some form of suicide ideation or committed deliberate self-harm in the first 10 months of this year.
This, according to the counselling service’s CEO Patrick Morgam.
“Our counsellors help navigate these individuals through their thoughts and feelings and link them to resources/agencies that can assist these clients to improve their health and wellbeing,” he said.
Mr Morgam said according to their data, from January to October 2021, females reported a higher rate of attempted suicide in comparison with males.
“The high-risk age group ranges from 15 to 25 years old and 55 years and above.”
He said in most cases, people did not reach out for support at crucial times because of myths or stigma attached to seeking support for mental health issues.
“By the time an individual reaches out to help, they already have suicidal ideations or have attempted suicide, thus there needs to be continuous awareness to all individuals to reach out for support.”
Another NGO, Lifeline Fiji recorded 72 suicide cases and 66 cases of attempted suicide in the nine months to September last year.
