Suicide and its Prevention
Getting Help if You Feel Suicidal or Know Someone That Is
People typically feel suicidal only for a limited period of time. It is important to remember that although life seems unbearable now, that things could and often do improve even if it is hard to see it at the moment. Many people who attempt suicide and do not succeed, often find some time later that they are glad that they failed.
Talking to someone is extremely important if you are feeling suicidal. This is not always easy, and if you find it hard talking about your feeling to your friends and family there are organisations like the Samaritans who run 24 hour helplines. See box below. Many health boards also have crisis lines you could call. If you don’t feel able to talk to someone face to face or make a phone call, you can email the Samaritans confidentially at jo@samaritans.org. You can email us at info@dascot.org but we do not run a crisis service so we cannot always respond straight away.
Where to find help
The following websites may help:
If you are thinking of suicide.. Webpage aimed at people who are feeling suicidal.
Edinburgh Crisis Centre Crisis care for people 18 and over who use/have used mental health services
Befrienders International We work worldwide to provide emotional support, and reduce suicide. We listen to people who are in distress. We don't judge them or tell them what to do - we listen. Site has a global list of helplines and useful information on how to help someone who is suicidal as well as information on depression, self harm and bullying
Stamp Out Suicide The Stamp Out Suicide! website is packed with information. There are pages concerned with suicide awareness and suicide prevention and pages intended to be helpful to the people of Scotland Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, England and Wales. The site provides points of contact for those feeling down, depressed and / or suicidal and for those bereaved by suicide.
Breathing Space Free, confidential phone-line for people experiencing emotional problems 0800 83 85 87 open 6pm - 2am during the week and 24 hours at the weekend (6pm Friday - 6am Monday). Their website contains comprehensive information on emotional problems including depression.
Choose Life A national strategy and action plan to prevent suicide in Scotland. More than 2 people per day die from suicide in Scotland, suicide prevention is everyone's business
Samaritans You can contact Samaritans by telephone 08457 90 90 90, letter, e-mail to jo@samaritans.org and minicom 24 hours a day.
Sane National out-of-hours telephone helpline and email service 08457 67 8000 sanemail@sane.org.uk offering practical information, crisis care and emotional support to anybody affected by mental health problems.
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide We exist to meet the needs and break the isolation of those bereaved by the suicide of a close relative or friend. Offers telephone support, self-help groups and information
Inverness Suicide Awareness Group Inverness Suicide Awareness Group is a non-profit making organisation that operates solely on the efforts of volunteers who have all unfortunately had first hand of dealing with the traumas associated with suicide. They have a 24 hour helpline on 01467 237314 and a monthly group.
CALM CALM is a helpline and website for men aged 15 - 35. Suicide is STILL the second biggest killer of men in this age group. Helpline 0800 58 58 58
Life Link LifeLink provides free support and advice to people in crisis, who self harm and at risk of suicide in the North Glasgow area. We provide the support when people need it.
“after a suicide” booklet
The Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) has produced a 20 page booklet for people affected by suicide in Scotland, called “after a suicide”. It covers a range of topics, including feelings and emotions people may experience after losing a loved one to suicide; practical issues and the kinds of things which might happen after a suicide; and it gives contact details for sources of help and support.
You can get a copy of the booklet by contacting the SAMH Information Service:
Telephone: 0141 568 7000
Email: info@samh.org.uk
Post: SAMH, Cumbrae House, 15 Carlton Court, Glasgow G5 9JP
Pulling through – a personal story
I could see no other way out. I felt totally finished both mentally and physically. The stresses around my life of work, home and study left me feeling like a hamster in a plastic ball – there was no way to be free of this.
Depression, for me, comes after the ‘hamster’ kinds of stress. After a while I go beyond that, sort of frozen and unable to do anything, and find I’m in a room with no windows and no lights. The door to the corridor, which has a light, gradually closes. I haven’t the energy to get up and open it and indeed, at times, the door locks and it takes a while even for those on the outside – the healthcare professionals – to find the right key.
I know now that the key will be found and that I will feel better, gradually, but the first time I had severe depression I could not see this. It seemed that many of the antidepressants I tried did not work for me. I felt nothing would work and that my family and everyone would be better off without me. It is only later that I can see my suicide would actually have left my children, particularly, with long term awful feelings themselves.
I thought that being dead would be the answer. So, I took some pills. I could not see that what I was really looking for was not death but for the awful symptoms of depression to go away. Suicide seemed like the only way out at that point because I felt so low all the time.
I was lucky; I can see that now. Not only did someone find me and take me to hospital – I don’t remember anything about this except waking up in a strange place and trying to work out where I was – but I also found that with the right help and support I did gradually recover.
I’m not saying it is easy; I’m not saying depression will go away overnight. I still get bouts of it from time to time and hate it. But I went on after this suicide attempt to see value in my life; to enjoy the simple things like trees, flowers, music and of course family, which I never thought I could again when I was suicidal.
Suicide: the facts
- In Scotland, in 2004, there were 835 deaths by intentional self harm and undetermined intent. This equates to an age standardised rate of 15.9 per 100,000. The rate for males is nearly three times that for females.
- Scotland’s rates for 2003 and 2004 were the lowest rates (in Scotland) since 1993
- About 3 out of 4 of deaths by intentional self harm and undetermined intent are completed by people who have not been in contact with mental health services in the year before death.
- The risk of death by intentional self harm or undetermined intent in the most deprived areas of Scotland is almost double the Scottish average.
- Scottish rates vary across health board and local authority areas.
- Scotland’s rate is higher than rates in other parts of the UK.
- Mondays are the most common day for these deaths.
(Choose Life 2006)
There has been growing awareness over the past few years of the extremely high rate of suicide in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK and Western Europe. In International Suicide Prevention Week September 2004, the Scottish Parliament held a debate about suicide and its prevention. MSPs discussed a wide range of issues, including the prevalence of suicide amongst certain groups (men, the young, and the elderly in particular) and in certain areas of the country, such as the Highlands as well as the causes of feelings of depression and despair which are often contributing factors to suicide.
Another theme running through the debate was the need to support people bereaved by suicide, who often experience strong feelings of anger, depression and guilt after losing a loved one in this way. Tom McCabe, Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care, drew attention to the Scottish Association for Mental Health’s leaflet “After a Suicide” (to which DAS was also a contributor), and promised to make a copy of this publication available to every MSP.
Despite continuing cause for concern, a great deal of work is being done in Scotland to prevent suicide. A major national initiative launched in 2002, “Choose Life”, aims to reduce suicides in Scotland by 20 per cent over the next 10 years. Work is taking place at local and national levels to:
- provide early intervention and support for people experiencing depression and others at risk;
- respond to crises and promote recovery;
- support those bereaved by suicide;
- increase public and media awareness of positive mental health and the importance of seeking help; and
- improve the quality of information and research on suicide.
While it is by no means inevitable that a diagnosis of depression will lead to self-harm or a suicide attempt, it is nevertheless clear that people affected by depression are at risk of suicide. One of our key roles at DAS is to raise awareness of depression as a treatable illness, so that the appropriate care is sought at an early stage. We believe that a broad range of treatments should be widely available in order that anyone affected by depression can access the remedy most appropriate to them. Available treatments should include self help, mutual support and fellowship. We also support the Choose Life initiative, and are very aware that our work must include a focus on contributing to a solution to the complex issues involved in suicide prevention.