Reading from World Suicide Prevention Day Candle Lit stroll in Melton Mowbray Play Close Good evening and welcome, my name is Alan Savill and I am a survivor of bereavement by suicide. I lost my son Ian in December 2012. Lynn & Oscar who have organised this evenings event and who have also set up and run the SOBS group in Melton Mowbray also lost their daughter to suicide and I suspect many/most of you here tonight, are here because you have also been bereaved by suicide, or live with the spectre of suicide. We will also remember and honour those who have already passed away; that they didn’t survive their suicidal urges. Our government has a strategy to reduce suicide, and according to their figures in England; one person dies every two hours as a result of suicide. Globally someone somewhere ends their life every 40 seconds. More people die by suicide than by murder and in wars combined. When someone takes their own life, the affect on their family and friends is devastating, which is an understatement. In the aftermath, statistically it increases their own risk of suicide, often leads to depression and many people say they’ve lost family & friends, their work has suffered and their physical health can be affected too. Ronnie Walker founder of Alliance of Hope; an American website that specialises in supporting Survivors of bereavement by suicide says “Prevention starts with postvention” And that brings us here tonight, thinking about prevention, we can’t change the fact that both Ian & Nicola and too many others have gone, we can’t help them now.... ....But we are passionate about preventing future tragedies. Research suggests that about 5% of people (1 in 20) think about suicide in any given year, so that makes thoughts of suicide pretty normal, but only a very small group of people will act on those thoughts. Do you know that he urge to end your life is very often temporary. Research in America and replicated around the world shows that 90% of people who survive an attempted suicide, don’t ultimately die of suicide? That should be shouted from the roof tops, start to debunk the many myths that surround suicide, add to the stigma and prevent discussion. It’s important to talk openly and honestly about mental health and suicide. There’s no evidence that talking about suicide increases the risk of suicide or puts the idea into someone’s head. We don’t need to be afraid of the words and being clear avoids misunderstandings. Please take people seriously if they mention suicide, or talk of killing themselves or wanting to die, a lot of people just need a caring person to listen, others need trained professional help. If you are concerned, encourage them to get help. I’d now go so far as to get the information for someone I was concerned about and put it in their hands, give them something that in their frame of mind they might not even consider seeking out. People who have never struggled with thoughts of suicide often seem to think that considering suicide is a choice; that if only they knew how stupid it was to think about suicide, people would and could just stop. But believe me helpline workers report many suicidal people would give anything to be able to make those thoughts stop. After the recent death of Robin Williams there was a media frenzy, as usual after a high profile loss, however responsible reporting by the media, that does not sensationalise or glamourise suicide, would help prevent further losses. But we need the media to highlight inspirational stories like Jonny Benjamin’s who on 14 January 2008 went to Waterloo Bridge to take his own life. A complete stranger brought him back from the brink. Jonny found his saviour earlier this year after a media campaign called “Finding Mike” and got to thank him in person. The Samaritans charity is nervous that his tale may glamorise Mike or “Laybourn’s” his real name once identified, intervention; and caution that most suicide attempts are not averted by guardian angels. Kevin Hines is one of only a handful of people to survive jumping off The Golden Gate Bridge. He and Jonny are both working hard, talking about their experiences to prevent others getting to that point. There are many famous people now who speak up about their battle with serious mental health problems: Stephen Fry, Alastair Campbell, Denise Well & Ruby Wax and that’s what we need more of; role models that show you can get through and still be successful despite struggling with Mental illness. I know there are horrible barriers that prevent families who are really concerned about a loved one, patient confidentiality, the stigma of being sectioned, the signs & symptoms of the illness conspire together to thwart efforts to get help. Somehow that must be tackled. Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer released a report this week and said her annual report said mental illness led to the loss of 70 million working days last year - up 24% since 2009. Overall, mental illness costs the economy between £70bn and £100bn in lost productivity, benefit payments and absence from work. But we must now work smarter, we must listen to people who have been suicidal, learn from them, produce simple documents that are readily available to everyone that can direct these people to get immediate assistance.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 05:47:00 +0000
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