The latest suicides statistics show that around 6,000 people die by suicide each year in the UK.
Now, one leading mental health charity is aiming to raise awareness of suicide and encourage conversations to help reduce the number of suicides and suicide attempts globally. The Kaleidoscope Plus Group is marking World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10 by asking people to start a conversation about suicide and show that recovery is possible.
Melanie Griffin, Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention Officer, said “Suicide may not affect everyone, but it can affect anyone at any time. It’s important to take some time to build your skills in raising awareness, spotting the signs and symptoms and know how to support someone who might be struggling with their mental health.
“We will be continuing to promote awareness and this year focusing on males to encourage them to open up, talk and check in with a friend. We have already seen the detrimental impact that the pandemic has had on the nation’s mental health, so we will be engaging with workplaces to talk about mental health and support suicide prevention.
“We will be offering workplaces a selection of goodies and asking them to take time to have a cuppa and chat. We will also be in West Bromwich offering a visible presence to encourage our community to talk about suicide.”
The charity, based in West Bromwich, currently offers a virtual suicide bereavement support group and a virtual support group for parents and carers of young people that self-harm and will begin offering face-to-face support groups once again from September. In the run up to the awareness day it is asking people start a conversation with a loved one or friend and donate £3 – the cost of a cup of coffee – to support those thinking of suicide by texting ‘ONECOFFEE’ to 70085.
It will also host a question-and-answer session on its Facebook page between 2:30 – 4pm on September 10. People are encouraged to ask questions around suicide and self-harm which will then be answered live by an expert.
A series of virtual training taster sessions about suicide awareness will also be held once a month from September 21. The sessions will offer an introduction to the charity and suicide prevention and aim to increase awareness of suicide as well as encourage action and inspire hope to those thinking of suicide.
