Join us on Thursday, September 18th, 2025, from 12:00 to 1:30 pm (EDT) for the webinar "Shaping responsible communications to raise awareness on suicide prevention in the Americas", organized by the Mental Health and Substance Unit of the 妹团 and the University of Toronto. This is the fourth webinar of a series of four webinars held during 2024 and 2025 on suicide prevention in the Region of the Americas, each focusing on a different evidence-based intervention of the Intervention Guide for Suicide Prevention in Countries.
This webinar will present perspectives on the creation, execution, and evaluation of suicide awareness campaigns, as well as how social media can be harnessed to promote suicide prevention, while addressing the risks of harmful content and misinformation.
It will have simultaneous interpretation in English and Spanish.
How to participate
- DAY: Thursday, September 18, 2025
- TIME: 12:00 p.m. (Washington, DC time or EDT) [See the bottom of this page for times in other cities]
- LANGUAGES: English and Spanish with simultaneous interpretation in those languages
- REGISTRATION:
Background
Each year, more than 100,000 people die by suicide in the Americas, and for every suicide, it is estimated that there are at least 20 suicide attempts. Between 2000 and 2021, the suicide rate in the Region increased by 17% percent, with the Americas being the only WHO Region to show an increase during this period.
Although countries in the Americas have made progress in suicide prevention, many continue to have high or increasing suicide rates and are not on track to reach the Sustainable Development Goal Target 3.4: 鈥渢o reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.鈥
Awareness raising is a key component of effective suicide prevention efforts which can serve to inform that suicide is a serious public health issue, reduce stigma associated with suicide, encourage help-seeking behaviours and provide knowledge on where to seek help. However, it is essential that all communications on suicide, such as those utilized for suicide awareness campaigns, as well as social media content, follow evidence-based guidance to reduce the risk of imitative behavior, challenge incorrect perceptions, and encourage help-seeking.
Agenda
- 12:00-12:05 p.m. 潭&苍产蝉辫; Introductory remarks
- Dr. Mark Sinyor, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto
- 12:05pm-12:25pm 潭&苍产蝉辫; More than words: campaigns that mobilize community awareness and action on suicide prevention
- Ms. Sina铆 Valverde Ceciliano, Clinical psychologist, Technical Secretariat for Mental Health, Ministry of Health of Costa Rica
- 12:25-12:45 p.m. 潭 Seize the Awkward: A Youth Mental Health Campaign
- Ms. Mar铆a de los 脕ngeles Corral. Vice President of Public Relations. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Ms. Vera Lukacs. Senior Director of Social Media, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- 12:45-1:05 p.m. 潭 Beyond the Feed: Suicide Prevention and Connection in the Digital Age
- Dr. Karen Scavacini. National Representative of Brazil, International Association of Suicide Prevention
- 1:05-1:25 p.m. 潭 Questions & Answers
- 1:25-1:30 p.m. 潭 Closing remarks
- Dr. Renato Oliveira e Souza. Chief, Mental Health and Substance Use Unit, 妹团
Time in other cities
- 9:00 a.m. 鈥 Los Angeles, Vancouver
- 10:00 a.m. 鈥 Belmopan, Guatemala City, Managua, Mexico City, San Jos茅 (CR), San Salvador, Tegucigalpa
- 11:00 a.m. 鈥 Bogot谩, Panama City, Kingston, Lima, Quito
- 12:00 p.m. 鈥 Bridgetown, Caracas, Georgetown, Havana, La Paz, Port of Spain, Port-au-Prince, Nassau, Ottawa, San Juan, Santiago, Santo Domingo, Washington D.C.,
- 1:00 p.m. 鈥 Asunci贸n, Buenos Aires, Brasilia, Montevideo, Paramaribo
- 2:00 p.m. 鈥 Geneva, Madrid
For other cities, please check the local time.