Almost one in 10 teenage deaths in South Africa every year are the result of suicide, the Psychiatry Management Group (PsychMG) said this week.
According to PsychMG, about 20 percent of high school learners have tried to take their own lives.
With teenagers and young adults the focus of World Mental Health Day yesterday, PsychMG chairperson, Dr Sebolelo Seape, said the prevention of teen suicides starts with better understanding of the symptoms of depression.
“Most people with depression are not suicidal, but most suicidal people are depressed,” Seape said stressing the importance of knowing the symptoms of depression.
PsychMG said many of these tragedies could be averted by paying attention to warning signals and risk factors, building emotional resilience, and taking suicide threats seriously.
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