英语课程计划-World Suicide Prevention Day（在线收听）

World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is a day we should all put on our calendars. It highlights a huge but often ignored problem in our society. Every year thousands of people take their own lives. Around 3,000 people a day commit suicide. Another 60,000 a day attempt  suicide. WSPD promotes ways to identify possible suicide cases and to prevent suicide. The day is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention. This important group acts as a forum for academics, mental health professionals, and suicide survivors to work together to understand suicide better. They raise awareness that suicide is a preventable cause of hundreds of thousands of deaths around the world.

The word suicide comes from Latin, meaning to kill oneself. There are many factors that lead to someone taking their own life. These include depression, shame, physical pain, anxiety, and relationship problems. A growing reason nowadays is financial difficulties. There is a sudden increase in suicide in rich nations when there is a downturn in the economy. Another worrying trend is the number of young people who resort to suicide because of bullying. Suicide is in fact one of the leading causes of death among teenagers and young adults. In Japan, there are Internet suicide clubs so you can end your life with others who are equally desperate. A hot topic today is assisted suicide – helping another person end his or her life.