Why I want people to talk about suicide

I am organising a Mental Health First Aid Lite course (provided by Mental Health First Aid England) for my colleagues at work and I really hope they all attend and embrace it. A little bit of awareness and confidence in dealing with mental health issues might make the difference in someone's life. Statistically, we are all very likely to encounter someone who might need help and hopefully this course will encourage my colleagues to reach out to them. 

 

The fact my employers are paying for the training is testament to their determination to tackle this issue and I intend to make the most of the opportunity this gives my colleagues. 

 

I have found people are actually quite willing to attend meetings and workshops around mental health that I have set up, but so far these have all been convenient, pretty fluffy and light touch. I am interested to see how people feel about this course, as it will include talk of more serious elements, such as suicide.

 

Personally, I believe suicide is a hugely important topic to discuss. Having had a very close friend commit suicide, an event that shook my world and led to some huge changes in my life, I am aware of some of the impacts that suicide can have, beyond the immediate impact to the perpetrator. I have experienced the loss of a friend, witnessed the loss that others have felt and pondered at length the questions that this raises. Questions that will never be answered, but periodically come back to haunt me - could I have prevented it? Should I have known and helped? Would his unborn child have grown up knowing her dad if I had been a better friend to him?

 

At times I torture myself with these questions, perhaps because I miss him and on some level blame myself, even though I know logically I am not responsible for (or even aware of) all the reasons that led him to take his own life.

 

But I am determined to turn my experiences to positive ends. My feelings fuel my efforts to help others in the small ways that I can. If I can help others to open their eyes to the signs and use their compassion to help people in need, while doing the same myself, perhaps I can make a difference to someone. Perhaps I can save a life in return for the life I couldn't save and honour the memory of my friend. 

MP