Tag: suicide onboard

On September 10th, the suicide prevention day reminds us that every year more than 700,000 individuals commit suicide throughout the world, a figure which could justify an interest in a greater awareness on mental health issues. Suicide has become a more troubling topic for shipping over the past few years as awareness of mental health has grown.

In an exclusive interview to SAFETY4SEA, Mr. Jannik Grothues, Managing Director, MHSS, talks about seafarers’ mental health challenges, noting that cases of bullying and harassment, suicides, panic attacks and hallucinations onboard show an increase.

The COVID-19 pandemic redefined the industry’s approach to mental health with unconfirmed reports indicating an increase in the number of seafarers’ suicides. However, with the lack of a central database system for reporting suicides at sea, the potential problem cannot be framed and, consequently, addressed.

Mental Health Support Solutions CEO and founder Charles Watkins welcomes the recently published report by the Department for Transport which aims to bring greater understanding of the mental health challenges of seafarers and the impacts of suicide on crew.

Ipsos was commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to conduct research into the mental health of seafarers and, specifically, suicide among seafarers.

A teenage passenger aboard the cruise ship MSC Seashore fell to his death, in what is believed to be a suicide last week. 

Suicidal ideation is a sign that an individual is suffering deeply and must seek treatment and various myths need to be debunked. 

Observed annually on the 10th of September, the World Suicide Day aims to raise awareness about suicide prevention with many initiatives around the globe.

Mental Health Support Solutions calls employers to provide support to mariners facing intense pressure amid the pandemic.

Research shows an increase in suicide attempts among seafarers since the beginning of 2020, in a time when COVID-19 pandemic left thousands of seafarers stranded onboard for prolonged periods away from family, adding to the already emerging issue of crew mental health.