When in distress, you need a good listener.

This remains one of the primary steps in counselling, according to a workshop conducted by Bistupur-based Jeevan, one of the centres affiliated to Befrienders India, Chennai, a nodal body which coordinates activities of national helplines or member centres that work towards suicide prevention.

The Bistupur centre organised the workshop to enhance skills of its volunteers who can help victims of depression, especially those with suicidal tendencies.

The two-day workshop started on Saturday at the Maharashtra Hitkari Mandal in Bistupur. About 30 volunteers attended it.

“We keep enhancing the skills of our volunteers to keep them updated on the research in this field and to deal with the callers and people who come to them for help. We impart training based on the guidelines set by Befrienders India,” said Jeevan member Gurpreet Kaur Bhatia.

Some tips in the training included not to divulge a person’s identity, enhancing listening skills and how to handle different types of callers. The participants learnt about handling a stressed person, identifying their problems and by empowering them in decision making.

Those who attempt suicide do so for lack of social, economic and emotional support, believed the members.

India has one of the world’s highest suicide rates among people aged between 15 and 29 years.

Every year, 30 to 40 Indians per 1,00,000 aged between 15 and 29 years kill themselves. This accounts for about a third of all suicides in the world.

On Saturday, Jeevan also launched its bimonthly newsletter that focuses on mental health. The newsletter was launched by East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Ravi Shankar Shukla.

As of now, the newsletter is meant for members of Jeevan but later, it will be circulated among the common people for awareness on mental health.

“As of now it is only for our members but later we shall increase the number of prints,” said Bhatia.