Based on the directives of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and in implementation of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention for the year 2026, the University of Information Technology and Communications, represented by the Women’s Affairs Division and in cooperation with the Continuous Education Center, organized an awareness seminar entitled “Reducing Suicide and Self-Harm: A Psychological Perspective”, which aimed to highlight this phenomenon and raise the level of community awareness of its psychological effects and ways to reduce it.

The seminar addressed the concepts of suicide and self-harm, clarifying the differences between them, reviewing the most prominent statistics related to suicide cases, as well as explaining the underlying reasons for self-harm, including feelings of guilt, anger directed inwards, past traumas, family conflicts, in addition to physical factors such as hormonal changes, and other disorders.

The seminar, presented by Lect. Dr. Amani Saleh Znad, concluded with a review of the most important preventive interventions, including building a safe psychological environment, spreading community awareness to reduce stigma, and enhancing psychological resilience, as well as emphasizing the importance of early psychological support, strengthening social relationships, and monitoring warning signs such as extreme isolation or expressing thoughts related to death, which contributes to reducing the risks of suicide and self-harm.