Blogspot:Awareness

While the topic of suicide has become less stigmatised through many excellent initiatives and awareness, we cannot ignore how much further we can go.

Suicide rate is higher in Northern Ireland than the UK and Ireland.

Let’s get this out of the way first: It’s generally not that people want to kill themselves.

Given the choice of a) die and be gone forever or b) live a long, happy life, 

people are going to go with b.

Claiming a failed suicide attempt is attention seeking Is one of the most unfortunate and fucking ridiculous things I’ve ever heard about suicide.

This is usually followed by 

"if they really wanted to kill themselves they would just do it.”

Yes let’s shame an obviously tortured soul for living, such a classy thing to do.

Too many of us think suicide carries with it the implied notion of selfishness. People who attempt it or follow through with it obviously don’t consider the terrible impact it will have on their friends and family.

  If they were able to think like this… they wouldn’t fucking do it. 

You’re kinda missing the point of mental illness and how it distorts perceptions.

How could she be so selfish to do this to us?

 Did he even think about how this would tear us apart?

Yes they did think about it. They knew. But when faced with the inability to see any other alternative, this only piles a whole lot of guilt on to an already unmanageable load. It’s why most suicide notes will say “I’m sorry.”

Basic questions about whether suicide is a public health problem, whether it can be prevented on a broad scale, whether suicidal thoughts and actions are a disorder or a symptom of other disorders, remain widely debated.Quite simply, people will die by suicide

 “when they have both the desire to die and the ability to die.”

Can we stop someone ending their life?

                                               YES  YES  YES

“Can you really stop somebody who wants to kill themselves? I still hear that says .  Changing that perspective is really critical.”

                         Jane Pearson, chair of the NIMH research consortium

If we invest in suicide prevention – really invest in it – then we have a good shot at bringing it down..

If you get a call from a friend, a text message, an email….anything telling you that they’re going to kill themselves then take responsibility as a human being to help them. Don’t just stand by and later find out that one call could have prevented a suicide.

                         Suicide can be stopped.