Today marks World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September), an annual event to raise awareness around suicide and ways to prevent it.
Each year in Wales, between 300 and 350 people die by suicide – this is almost three times the number killed in road accidents. Suicide is also the biggest killer for men under 50 in the UK and globally, it is responsible for 800,000 deaths which equates to one suicide every 40 seconds.
Preventing suicide can involve speaking out about your mental health and seeking help if you’re having suicidal thoughts, and Time to Change Wales’ role is to end the stigma and discrimination surrounding the topic of mental health.
Below we have some very brave stories from some of our Champions, who emphasise the importance of speaking out about your mental health and seeking help. Please be aware that the content we share may be triggering so we advise caution when engaging with our content.
- Steve speaks about how he manages his suicidal thoughts on a daily basis. Read here.
- Louise describes how she reached out for help to a UK helpline when she was at crisis point. Read here.
- Sue talks about how she got help at work when she contemplated suicide. Read here.
- Jess speaks out on how she reached crisis point when suffering with isolation and eating disorders during her GCSEs. Read here.
- Mark advocates saving yourself, by reaching out to be saved. Read here.
- Nathan touches on the pressure of being a man and how self-stigma to be strong can lead to you suffering in silence. Read here.
The stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health conditions can leave people feeling ashamed to speak honestly about their feelings and thus preventing them from seeking the help they need. Don’t suffer in silence – it is OK to talk about it. Read about how many of our other Champions found help here.
Suicide is not a mental health problem in itself but it is linked to mental distress. Joining together is critical to preventing suicide – it takes members of society such as family, friends, colleagues, community members to come together and support each other through points of crisis.
It’s time to change our attitude and behaviour towards mental health in society and to save more people from dying by suicide. Find out how you can support our campaign by clicking here.
Need help? If you are experiencing mental health problems or need urgent support, click here.