Suicide bereavement charity urges people to ‘look out for one another’
In 2023, almost every week a person took their own life in Wiltshire
A Wiltshire charity is stressing that there is no shame in talking about mental health this World Suicide Prevention Day.
It is as suicide figures are rising across England with more than one 17 people a day having taken their own life in 2023.
In Swindon and Wiltshire, a total of 51 people died of suicide that year.
Gemma Bessant, Service Manager at Swindon and Wiltshire Support After Suicide, a branch of national charity Rethink Mental Illness, said: “We've got to look out for one another. It might be a work colleague that you don't know particularly well, but you've noticed they're a little bit withdrawn. It might feel really uncomfortable to approach them at the water cooler or whatever it is – but do it. You have got nothing at all to lose, nothing at all.
“And the same goes if you are concerned about your yourself. If you're feeling at risk, there is no shame in that.
“The more we talk about it, the more we normalise this and realise it's not unusual to have these thoughts at all.”
Since 2003, the number of people in England dying of suicide every year has risen by more than 1,200.
Across the South West, the figure has increased from 452 in 2003 to 615 in 2023.
While Swindon’s suicide rate has almost halved, Wiltshire as a whole has seen fluctuations over the years with 38 people having taken their own life in 2023, compared to 46 in 2013 and 27 in 2003.
According to Ms Bessant, the most high-risk group are men between the ages of 40 and 65.
“This can be for a whole range of different reasons”, she explained.
“It might be personality traits. There are also a lot of issues around masculinity. There are still some issues where in society men are seen as the strong providers that don't cry and don't talk about mental health. There may be relationship issues, relationship breakdowns, poor health, chronic pain, things like that can make men more at risk.”
The best thing to do, she added, is to talk about it and - while using the right language is important - not be too afraid to say the wrong thing.
“I would urge anybody, if you think somebody's struggling or if you're struggling yourself, forget about saying the right or wrong language. It's always better to say something.
“We wouldn't be ashamed to talk about our oral health if we had a loose filling and we absolutely need to frame mental health in exactly the same way”, Ms Bessant stressed.
“There is no shame in suffering with your mental health. There is certainly no shame in talking about your mental health, and there are services to support you if you are struggling with your mental health.
“I also think there is a fear that if you go and see your GP and you say you’re experiencing this or that or the other that you'll get sectioned straight away. It doesn't happen.
“There is support out there to be supported in the community and live a really, really fulfilling life, mental illness or not.”
Help available
If you, or someone you know is suffering with their mental health, or experiencing suicidal thoughts, you can speak to your GP. If someone's life is in danger - call 999 immediately.
You can also find help and advice from these services:
- Swindon and Wiltshire Support After Suicide - Call 07483 301214
- Hub of Hope - https://hubofhope.co.uk
- Samaritans – Call 116123 - https://www.samaritans.org
- Mind - Call 0300 123 3393 - https://www.mind.org.uk