Strictly Barriers to Bridges

On August 16, 2011, in Strictly Suicide, by Kathy Rees
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Creative Commons License photo credit: JessyeAnne

I read this article with some hope SANE Prevention of Suicide only to be let down again.

 

When my sister committed suicide all those years ago, I was enraged at the mechanism which she used to complete her task. A wise counsellor asked me “so what do we do, not build buildings because someone might jump off?” which caused me to ponder – deeply.

 

It’s not the bridge, the building, the gun or the access to prescribed medications that aid suicide.  It is the lack of mental health services, support and community understanding of the fundamentals of depression that lead to suicide. An attention seeking teen will not opt for the bridge option, they’re not that serious.  A committed suicidal person will find a way to end it all no matter what measures are put in place.

 

Please let us focus on the real issue – it’s not the buildings – but the people and biases within them.

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Strictly Suicide Prevention – The Number One Key

On April 28, 2010, in Strictly Suicide, by Kathy Rees
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Perfect Makeshift Necklace.
Creative Commons License photo credit: Cameron Cassa

After a suicide you will hear phrases like “I never saw it coming”, “there were no clues”, “I didn’t know they were depressed”, “ouf of the blue”. So what is the key to seeing it coming, finding the clues and knowing what depression is? Hindsight.

What do I mean by hindsight? Hindsight is usually the knowledge and wisdom you get by looking behind you at the events leading up to the conclusion, in this case a suicide. So how can we use hindsight, as a tool?

Study your loved ones. If something seems out of character, unusual, they become quiet and reserved suddenly, or you notice it more and more, ask yourself what is going on now – don’t wait until after. This does not mean to turn into a paranoid nervous wreck, but it means to be aware.

Why do we ignore these changes in character? There are many reasons but I’ll outline the first few that I know.

1. We’re scared

We don’t like change.  We don’t like to face things that are hard.  We don’t want terrible things to happen to us or to our (more…)

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