September is recognised as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.

It is a time when timelines and newsfeeds are filled with messages about prevention, compassion and mental health support.

While this visibility is important, awareness alone is not enough.

Suicide prevention cannot be reduced to a seasonal campaign or a brief moment of concern.

Every day, we see the painful reality of people who lose their battle with suicidal thoughts.

Each time it happens, we rush to social media to declare that kindness matters, reminding others to check in on their loved ones and share helpline numbers.

Yet, once the hashtags fade, many return to the very behaviours that contribute to the problem: bullying, mocking, excluding and tearing people down for things they cannot change.

We often encourage people to speak up when they are struggling.

But when they do, their trust is too often betrayed.

Confidences are broken, and private struggles become gossip – instead of receiving support, individuals are met with judgment or ridicule.

These are not small betrayals.

They can deepen despair and silence those who most need to be heard. For prevention to be real, trust must become the foundation of how we treat one another.

What is the use of posting about kindness in September if we cannot practice it in October, November and every month that follows?

Suicide prevention demands consistency.

It requires us to look honestly at how we treat others in classrooms, workplaces, families and online spaces.

Do our words uplift or diminish?

Do we listen when someone is vulnerable, or do we dismiss their pain as weakness?

The answers to these questions reveal whether we are truly committed to prevention or simply repeating slogans.

Prevention begins everyday.

It lives in small decisions: choosing not to spread rumours, standing up against online harassment, checking in on a quiet friend, offering encouragement instead of criticism, and treating others with dignity even when no one is watching. These are not grand gestures, but they build the kind of environment where people feel valued rather than isolated.

Every person deserves to feel safe enough to share their struggles without fear of ridicule.

Suicide Prevention Awareness Month is important, but it should mark the beginning of action, not the end.

Awareness must lead to practice, and words must translate into behaviour. Every one of us has the power to create a culture where kindness is not seasonal and compassion is not conditional.

Kindness should not wait for a tragedy. It should be the habit that saves lives every day.

*Syrvia Sheya is postgraduate student at the Namibia University of Science and Technology.