World Suicide Prevention Day 2026: How starting a conversation can help prevent suicide

On World Suicide Prevention Day 2026, psychologist Dhara Ghuntla explains why starting conversations about emotional distress, recognising warning signs and offering timely support can help prevent suicide.

New Delhi: September is observed as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, with World Suicide Prevention Day marked on September 10. The occasion highlights the importance of recognising emotional distress, reducing stigma and encouraging people to seek timely support. In an exclusive interaction with News9 Digital, Dhara Ghuntla, psychologist and psychotherapist, and an independent practitioner affiliated with Sujay Hospital, 7 Hills Hospital and Criticare Hospital, discusses the warning signs of psychological distress, how to respond when someone is in crisis and why suicide prevention must begin with open conversations.

The theme for World Suicide Prevention Day 2024–2026 is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”, with the 2026 call to action being “Start the Conversation”. Suicide can affect people across age groups and communities and may occur in the context of mental-health difficulties, but also during periods of intense stress, loss, relationship difficulties, financial problems, loneliness, illness or other overwhelming circumstances.

Recognising distress before a crisis

Severe psychological distress does not always appear dramatic. A person may continue working, attending........

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