For World Suicide Prevention Day, we wanted to share some information on support and stigma surrounding suicide, and what can be done to prevent it.

⚠️ Warning: readers may find some or all of this content distressing

Why is World Suicide Prevention Day so important?

There is a silent killer in the midst of our streets, our schools, our workplaces and behind the closed doors of our humanly counterparts. Its silence lies in the fact that people don’t talk about it. It is not cancer or heart disease. It is suicide and it’s the biggest killer in men under the age of forty-five in the UK.

The latest suicides statistics showed that in 2018, in the UK and Republic of Ireland, more than 6,800 people died by suicide, with men amounting for 78% of that total.

Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy. We know that suicide is preventable, but not being okay is still widely stigmatised!

On my first day of secondary school, I sadly fell into the category of being affected by suicide. Here’s a short radio documentary I did, exploring the stigma and support available for those suffering with suicidal thoughts and mental illness.

Stigma and Support

If you would like to talk to anyone about mental health or anything else, please contact Meic, the national information, advice and advocacy helpline for 0-25s in Wales. You can contact Meic by phone (080880 23456), text (84001), or instant message (www.meic.cymru) between 8am and midnight every day.

Related Information

Check out TheSprout’s Mental Health information page for links to local and national support.

If you’d like to hear more about Sammy’s story, click here.

Stigma is stopping young people in Wales from talking about mental health. Here’s why.