Suicide awareness

Suicide Facts and Figures

• Each day around 16 people take their life in the UK and Ireland.
• In the UK, men are three times as likely to take their own lives than women.
• In the UK, the highest suicide rate was for men aged 45-49.

(Samaritans Suicide Statistics Report 2018)

If you are feeling suicidal, there are people you can talk to:

• speak to a friend, family member or someone you trust
• call the Samaritans 24-hour support service on 116 123
• go to your nearest accident and emergency (A&E) department and tell the staff how you are feeling
  contact NHS 111
• make an urgent appointment to see your GP

If someone tells you that they are feeling suicidal:

• Stay Calm – It may be uncomfortable listening but try not to let your own emotional response prevent you from hearing what the person is saying and what their body language is telling you. Talking about self-harm and suicide does not increase the risks!
• Listen – Just being listened to can be a brilliant support and bring great relief to people, particularly if they have never spoken to anyone about their self-harming or suicidal thought before. The fact that they have chosen you to talk to means they feel comfortable speaking to you.
• Take Them Seriously – Do not ignore or dismiss the feelings or behaviour of someone nor see it as attention-seeking or being manipulative. Do not be judgemental
• Confidentiality – Do not keep concerns to yourself – helping someone is a wonderful opportunity but it can also be stressful. If you are a professional, share your concerns with your line manager or safeguarding lead they will help you to consider and manage the risk.
• Clarify whether or not there are immediate needs for medical attention or urgent help to keep the person safe and respond accordingly. For urgent medical attention call 999, for non urgent medical help call 111 or the persons own GP.
• Make sure you are available for the person for the following few days / weeks. If you are not available make sure they know where to seek support from.

There are some online training resources available for managers, practitioners and people who may know someone who is going through a period in their life where suicidal thoughts are overwhelming them. This training is called Suicide, Let’s Talk. 

The Stay Alive App has been created to provide useful information and tools to help keep you and those you care about safe. To find out more and to download the app, please visit https://www.prevent-suicide.org.uk/find-help-now/stay-alive-app/

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