* Trigger warning: This article discusses suicide *
Last year, I wrote a blog discussing how rock star Jon Bon Jovi had reportedly helped to talk down a woman in distress from the ledge of a bridge in Nashville, Tennessee. Almost exactly a year later, footage has circulated on social media and news channels of a lorry driver who stopped their vehicle directly below an individual dangling from a bridge over the M1 motorway. The driver reportedly climbed on to the roof of his vehicle and worked with police to bring the individual down to safety.
While these two incidents attracted national and international attention, in between there will have been many similar events, with varying outcomes.
It is perhaps fitting, therefore, that the theme for this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day, which took place on 10 September, was ‘Changing the narrative’. This focused on how interrupting someone with suicidal thoughts can significantly change a situation’s outcome. According to research conducted with the Samaritan’s Lived Experience Panel, 60% said their suicidal thoughts had been interrupted by someone close to them, while 14% said someone they didn’t know had interrupted their suicidal thoughts.
Identifying an individual who is having suicidal thoughts and knowing how best to approach the situation before they can act on these, therefore, can be crucial.
According to figures from the World Health Organisation, every year 700,000 people die by suicide. For each suicide, there are also 21 attempted suicide attempts. In the UK and Ireland alone, someone dies by suicide every 90 minutes, with one in four individuals having suicidal thoughts. Successfully interrupting more individuals having suicidal thoughts could go a long way to turning these figures around.
But, how many of us would know how best to start a dialogue with someone that is clearly having suicidal thoughts? And, what should we look for in order to identify instances where someone is internalizing these thoughts and hasn’t yet acted on these?
Research published by MHFA England to mark World Suicide Prevention Day found that 74% of UK adults said they would be comfortable asking a colleague if they were worried they were having thoughts of suicide. Just 40%, however, said they would feel comfortable talking about suicide with a colleague. Overall, more than half of the 2,000 adults surveyed said they lacked the confidence or skills to ask someone directly about suicide.
These findings just highlight the disparity that exists for many between wanting to help, but being unsure how to.
Suicide prevention is a key focus for mental health campaigner Ben West, after losing his brother in this way. At this year’s Employee Benefits Live on 1-2 October, Ben will feature as a keynote speaker, drawing on his deeply personal journey and his work with organisations worldwide to challenge delegates to rethink how workplaces respond to grief, particularly after suicide. His powerful session will also provide guidance on how to create psychologically safe cultures that reduce stigma and empower delegates with the courage to address the unspoken challenges of mental health and grief at work.
Find out more and register to attend.
Debbie Lovewell-Tuck
Editor
@DebbieLovewell
