September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. As a number of our families have been impacted by suicide, we wanted to show our support.
You may remember the powerful post during Grief Week last year ‘Steve’s Story’, you can read it here.
Sources of Support
There are a number of specific charities that offer support to people with suicidal thoughts, as well as many offering support to families and friends too.
One useful place to start might be this list of common myths about suicide from the Samaritans, which is also helpful if you want to talk with someone you are concerned about.
If you are struggling, you can contact the Samaritans for free day or night on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. You can also text the word SHOUT to 85258 for immediate support, call 111 or get to A&E for help. Hopelink UK also have a free helpline 0800 065 41 41. This is part of the Papyrus UK Suicide Prevention charity, who focus on young people in particular.
If you are not in immediate danger, the mental health charity MIND has lots of useful information and support too. You are not alone and reaching out to someone, even if you don’t know exactly what to say, is scary but essential.
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide
In addition to the general grief support, there is also a specific organisation called Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide. A local group is running in Chesterfield, you can contact them via the main charity on Facebook.
To speak to someone from SoBS they also have a helpline 0300 111 5065.
There is also Support After Suicide, a national source of information and signposting. This site is useful for individuals and professionals.
Taking the taboo about suicide away will only happen if we can have open conversations about it. Talking about grief and bereavement in all it’s forms is something we are always keen to do. Being open and looking for opportunities to discuss and learn about this difficult topic is part of our mission.