Facebook supports suicide prevention campaign in the Middle East with ‘Embrace’

Mental health awareness needs to take a front seat, now more than ever. If you don’t already know, September endorses suicide prevention around the world.

Embrace, founded in 2013, is an NGO whose mission is to support individuals in distress and shed light on mental health, while also working on eradicating the taboos attached with it. Working in the Middle East, this initiative launched the ‘Embrace Lifeline’ in 2018, and has since then received over 2000 calls from people all across.

Because we live in a world dominated by social media and the pressures that come with it, ‘Embrace’ has now partnered up with Facebook to support the ongoing campaign “Talking Saves Lives”. This will be the first suicide prevention helpline in Lebanon and the Middle East, and will be available in Facebook’s Safety Centre. Not only will this helpline provide callers with advice and support to anyone suffering from suicidal thoughts, but it will also offer help over other mental health issues, including how to support loved ones that might be suffering. This helpline will be available in both English and Arabic.

Having Facebook as a partner will be beneficial in several ways; those showing signs of distress will be encouraged to “talk with a friend,” “contact a helpline,” or “get tips and support.” Similarly, users who report a concerning post will be given the option to directly reach out to the ‘Embrace Lifeline’ by phone. In addition, Embrace will help Facebook tighten its suicide and self-injury policy by providing them with data and participating in regular meetings that include global experts in mental wellbeing.

“We believe that mental health issues, specifically depression, are treatable, and suicide is preventable,” said Mia Atoui, Clinical psychologist, Embrace Lifeline clinical supervisor and Co- founder of Embrace Lebanon. “At Embrace, we seek to inform and support individuals who need help by dispelling misinformation that surrounds mental illness. Our aim is to encourage Facebook users in Lebanon to support one another in times of distress by offering them access to valuable resources and tools. Through this important initiative, we hope to raise awareness, reduce the stigma surrounding self-harm, and prevent suicidal occurrences.”

The ‘Embrace Lifeline’ may be a region first, but this is definitely a strong step in the right direction. WIth initiatives such as these that establish a sense of community, not only can we work towards destigmatizing mental health, but also encourage braveness amongst those experiencing these invisible illnesses.