Start the Conversation

 

 

10 September is World Suicide Prevention Day.

This year, people and organisations around the world are coming together under the theme “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”, with a simple but powerful call to action: Start the Conversation.

Suicide can be an incredibly difficult subject to talk about.  Fear, stigma, shame and uncertainty can all make it tempting to stay silent.  But talking openly, listening without judgement and helping someone connect with support can make a real difference.

A conversation can start anywhere

You don’t need to have all the answers to support someone who is struggling.

Sometimes it can be as simple as asking:

“How are you really doing?”

“You don’t seem yourself lately. Do you want to talk?”

“I’m here to listen.”

If someone tells you that they’re thinking about suicide, take them seriously.  You don’t have to solve everything for them.  Listen, stay with them if you can, and help them connect with appropriate support.

Starting a conversation about suicide does not put the idea into someone’s head.  It can instead give someone an opportunity to say what they have been struggling to carry alone.

You don’t have to wait for a crisis

Support isn’t only for people who have reached breaking point.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, hopeless, isolated or unable to cope, reaching out early can be an important first step.  Talk to someone you trust, contact your GP, or speak to one of the support services available across Ireland.

And if you’re worried about someone else, you can contact these services for advice too.

Irish support services

If you or someone you know needs support, help is available:

• • Samaritans Ireland: https://www.samaritans.org/ireland/samaritans-ireland/
  • Pieta: https://www.pieta.ie/
  • Text About It: https://textaboutit.ie/
  • HSE Mental Health Support: https://www2.hse.ie/mental-health/services-support/
  • HUGG: https://hugg.ie/

If there is immediate danger

If you or someone else is at immediate risk of harm, call 112 or 999 or go to your nearest Emergency Department.

The HSE advises doing this in situations including an immediate risk of self-harm, an overdose, serious injury or difficulty breathing.

HSE Help for thoughts about suicide: https://www2.hse.ie/mental-health/services-support/suicide/

Let’s change the conversation

World Suicide Prevention Day isn’t about having one conversation on one day and then forgetting about it.

It’s about creating a culture where people feel able to say that they’re struggling, where asking for help isn’t seen as weakness, and where friends, families, colleagues and communities feel more confident about listening and responding with compassion.

We may not always know what someone else is going through.

So check in.

Listen.

Take people seriously.

And don’t be afraid to start the conversation.

You don’t need the perfect words. Sometimes simply letting someone know that you are there can be the beginning of something important.

This World Suicide Prevention Day, let’s change the narrative. Let’s start the conversation.