World Suicide Prevention Day was observed on September 10 and Carlos Sainz’s girlfriend Rebecca Donaldson took it as an opportunity to share an important message with her fans. She reposted a post put up by NHS London on her Instagram profile.
— Business F1 (@BusinessF158116) September 11, 2024
The World Health Organization (WHO) introduced this day to “raise awareness around the globe that suicide can be prevented“. Their triennial theme for 2024-26 is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide“.
They want people struggling with mental health to “start the conversation” and get help. As per WHO, suicide continues to be one of the leading causes of death.
They noted that in the Southeast Asia Region alone, over 200,000 deaths have been reported due to suicide in the past few years. Since there is such a stigma surrounding mental health, they believe that many people refrain from seeking help.
However, WHO hopes that they can continue to raise awareness in this fashion, with the hope that people struggling with mental health issues feel comfortable in reaching out for help. The topic of mental health has become so important to address that even a cutthroat sport like F1 has felt the need to raise awareness about the same.
F1 drivers too struggle with their mental health
Since the competition in F1 is so fierce, many often presume the drivers to be ‘superhuman’. However, as a matter of fact, they too suffer from similar struggles as the rest of the people.
Several F1 drivers such as Lando Norris, George Russell, and Valtteri Bottas have shed light on their own mental health struggles. Over the course of the 2024 season itself, Norris, in particular, has been very open about his psyche and has not hesitated to show how self-critical he can be at times.
Both Russell and Bottas have too explained in the past how approaching a psychologist and discussing their struggles has been therapeutic for them. Further, several F1 drivers in recent times have chosen to be vulnerable to help fight the stigma around mental health and encourage those struggling to reach out for help as well.
