Wednesday 10th September 2025 is World Suicide Prevention Day. The aim of this day is to discourage people from attempting or completing suicide, and to encourage people to seek help if they are feeling suicidal.
If you or someone you know is at risk of hurting yourself/ themselves or someone else, please call 999.
The theme for this year is ‘changing the narrative’. Suicide prevention is everyone’s business, not just those who have felt suicidal or who have been bereaved by suicide. Even if you have never directly had suicidal thoughts, it’s almost certain that someone in your life, such as a friend, classmate, colleague or family member has.
What can you do as an individual to change the narrative on suicide?
If you are someone who has experience with suicidal ideation or who has struggled with your mental health, sharing your story to help break down stigma can be really valuable. Yours is also an important voice in advocating for change, such as better supports. The most important thing, however, is that you should never feel like this is something you must do. If you need to step away and focus on yourself, that’s totally fine, and important self-care step in the recovery process.
If you are someone who has not had any experience with suicide, suicidal ideation, or poor mental health, there is still lots that you can do:
- You can check in on those around you – ask how they are, and really mean it. Have conversations about mental health and how you’re feeling.
- You can learn about stigmatising language and adjust your language usage accordingly – for example, we no longer use the phrase ‘commit suicide’, as that implies suicide is a crime, which it is now. An alternative could be to say that a person ‘died by suicide’.
- You can get trained in suicide prevention – Let’s Talk About Suicide is a free, online, evidence based training programme open to anyone. You can work through it in your own time, but overall it takes about an hour to complete.
Remember, if you are struggling with your mental health, you are not alone. You deserve help, and help is out there. Reach out to your Students’ Union, your on-campus support services, or check out our page for a list of free or low-cost supports.
Together, we all have a part to play in reducing suicide in Ireland.
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