Suicide Prevention Week North Hesse also in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg
Some organisations in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district already offer suicide prevention services. But what exactly are these services and where can affected people and their relatives find support? The "Suicide Prevention" working group, consisting of the Diakonisches Werk Waldeck-Frankenberg, the town of Korbach, the Haus für Körper, Geist und Seele (House for Body, Mind and Soul) together with the Waldeck-Frankenberg district health service, would like to find out and make the existing services more visible and therefore more accessible to citizens. At the same time, the working group is developing campaigns to draw attention to the topic of "suicide prevention". Together with Karl-Friedrich Frese, First District Councillor, Ute Jennemann, Head of the Department of Social Affairs, Culture and Sport of the City of Korbach and Winfried Schiel, Managing Director of the Diakonisches Werk, the "Suicide Prevention" working group announced its first own project in the field of suicide prevention: Suicide Prevention Week North Hesse in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg.
Around 10,000 people take their own lives in Germany every year - 23 of them in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district in 2023. However, the number of suicide attempts is significantly higher. The "Suicide Prevention" working group would like to draw attention to the services available in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg and contribute to destigmatising the topic of suicide. "People with suicidal thoughts or their relatives must not have the feeling that they are not allowed to talk about the subject. The working group organises campaigns to draw attention to the various support services available in our district and thus also helps to ensure that the topic of suicide is no longer seen as a taboo subject," explained Head of Health Karl-Friedrich Frese.
The working group's first campaign, Suicide Prevention Week North Hesse, will also take place in Korbach from 10 to 14 February. In addition to providing information in the pedestrian zone on the topic of suicide prevention, the films "Der letzte schöne Tag" and "Alles steht Kopf" will be shown - followed by a discussion. The programme will be rounded off with a coffee and discussion. "Anyone who is interested is cordially invited to the free programme. Even if you are not currently affected yourself, the exchange and information on this important topic can be helpful for the future," added Winfried Schiel, Managing Director of Diakonisches Werk.
Suicide prevention is also being discussed at federal level. In May 2024, the Ministry of Health published the Suicide Prevention Strategy. This is to serve as the basis for launching a draft law on the prevention of suicides and suicide attempts this year. The working group's services are currently organised via donations. Supporters can send their donation for the Suicide Prevention Week to the donation account of the church district office (ZV Kirchenkreisamt Waldeck-Frankenberg DE31 5206 0410 0001 1001 06 reference "Spenden Suizidpräventionswoche"). The Suicide Prevention Week working group also receives further support from the Diakonie Hessen Foundation, the town of Korbach, the Diakonisches Werk Waldeck-Frankenberg and the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg.
Caption: The "Suicide Prevention" working group presented its first project. The Suicide Prevention Week North Hesse from 10 to 14 February in Korbach. Photo: District of Waldeck-Frankenberg