Andhra Loyola celebrates ‘word suicide prevention day’

Vijayawada: Suicide is not the answer, it’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem, says Dr Ayodhya, leading psychiatrist and founder of Manasa Hospitals in a symposium conducted by the Department of Psychology of Andhra Loyola College here on Saturday in collaboration with MAGIC youth and All India Catholic University Federation. In commemoration of World Suicide Prevention Day, a seminar was held on Saturday at YES-J: Centre for Excellence where experts, psychologists, academicians and survivors came together to address the urgent global issue of suicide. With the theme ‘Creating Hope Through Action’ the seminar was aimed at raising awareness, provide support and promote dialogue on this critical topic. The event featured a lineup of distinguished speakers, each bringing a unique perspective and valuable insights to the discussion. The symposium ended with an open panel discussion discussing on “Suicide Prevention: Discussing intersectionality, fostering awareness, support, and resilience.” The discussion moderated by Pity Parker with eminent panelists Fr. Bala Bollineni, Founder-cum-Director of YES-J, Dr Sheela Nicolas, psychologist Bhargav Ram and Head of Dept of Psychology Rani discussed on several facades. Some questions were taken from the students for the discussion. Several competitions like debate, essay writing, poster presentation were held and the prizes were distributed at the programme. Fr Kiran, Vice-Principal of UG and Dr Samuel Dayakar, Head of the Dept of Political Science were also present in the programme.