Mpower’s digital campaign urges public to #SunoDekhoKaho this World Suicide Prevention Day

Mumbai: Mpower of the Aditya Birla Education Trust, a champion and pioneer of mental health in India, today launched a campaign to create awareness about suicide prevention – with a call to action on being able to #SunoDekhoKaho and recognize the red flags in time.

Issued in Public Interest, the campaign draws attention to a serious concern in society presently – suicide prevention. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), suicide is one of the leading causes of death among young adults globally. As per the 2015 NCRB data, over one lakh people on an average committed suicide every year in India between 2004 and 2014. And according to a 2012 Lancet report, India has one of the world’s highest suicide rates for people aged 15 to 29.

Mpower’s campaign is launching with a digital video about a friend, a mother, a teacher addressing a person in front of them about how they never said that something was wrong, or that that they needed to talk. The campaign brings to light a critical issue of today – we are all too busy with our own lives to spend some time with those we love.

Speaking on the launch of this campaign, Mrs. Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson, Mpower, said, “We all have come across a time when our loved one said they need to talk and we have put it off because of our busy schedules. We tend to ignore the signs and don’t spend time listening to them. Through this campaign we want to create awareness about how an issue we think is small, may actually be much bigger. We encourage everyone to #SunoDehoKaho and help those in need to speak up and seek help. At Mpower we strongly believe in stamping out stigma by increasing awareness and promoting acceptance. We urge everyone to become more sensitized to mental health and champion the cause with us.”

The #SunoDekhoKaho campaign will be present through the month of September across social media and digital platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Mpower aims to help create a society where people with mental health concerns and their caregivers receive professional support, care and acceptance to facilitate their recovery, without facing discrimination or shame.