Gyeonggi Suicide Prevention Center and Gyeonggi Pharmacists Association Join Hands to Prevent Drug-Related Suicide

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The Gyeonggi-do Suicide Prevention Center and the Gyeonggi-do Pharmaceutical Association have joined hands to prevent suicide by drug overdose.

On the 11th, Gyeonggi-do announced that on the 10th, the Gyeonggi-do Suicide Prevention Center and the Gyeonggi-do Pharmaceutical Association signed an agreement for the 'Gyeonggi-do Life G-Kim Pharmacy' at the Gyeonggi-do Suicide Prevention Center inside Suwon Medical Center in Jangan-gu, Suwon, to establish a community mental health safety net including suicide prevention related to drugs.

September 10 is 'World Suicide Prevention Day' designated by the World Health Organization (WHO).

This agreement was a measure to prevent the increased risk of suicide due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused vague social anxiety and depression among residents.

Through this agreement, the two organizations will mutually cooperate in ▲ early detection and treatment of high-risk suicide groups through community linkage ▲ consultation related to controlling suicide means such as proper use of medicines ▲ suicide prevention education and publicity.

The Gyeonggi-do Suicide Prevention Center will support pharmacists with non-face-to-face suicide prevention gatekeeper training.

Pharmacists belonging to the Gyeonggi-do Pharmaceutical Association will act as suicide prevention guardians by connecting information and professional services from the Suicide Prevention Center to residents visiting pharmacies who show signs of worsening depression or suicide risk.

The province plans to distribute leaflets containing life-love slogans and suicide prevention institution information, as well as 'Gyeonggi-do Life G-Kim Pharmacy paper bags' to residents through these pharmacists to raise awareness about suicide prevention.

According to Statistics Korea data from 2018, the number of deaths by drug overdose in the province was 51, the second highest among the 17 metropolitan local governments nationwide after Seoul. Through this agreement, the province expects to utilize about 4,700 pharmacies affiliated with the Gyeonggi-do Pharmaceutical Association to prevent drug misuse and abuse in advance and to improve early detection and treatment effectiveness for high-risk suicide groups.

Lee Bong-hwi, Director of the Mental Health Division of the province, said, "This agreement is expected to play a significant role not only in promoting community mental health but also in improving the awareness of respecting life in the province," and emphasized, "We will continue to do our best to spread the atmosphere of suicide prevention in the province through various policies and campaigns."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.