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World Suicide Prevention Day 2019.

Before I go into my post I want to apologise for my lack of blog posts over the past 2 weeks. In all honesty my mental health hasn’t been in the greatest of places but I am working on it and accessing the help I need.

As many of you will already know, this week on Tuesday the 10th of September it was #WorldSuicidePreventionDay. As you can imagine, this day is very close to my heart as I won’t lie, I have had thoughts of taking my own life and have taken steps to try and do so. Many of my friends have been in this situation too.

I did post on my Instagram story, with the hashtag to spread awareness. However you’ll notice that this blog post comes 4 days later than the actual date. There is a reason for this;

According to the Samaritans website in 2018 there were 6,859 deaths by suicide in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Both Mental health illness rates and death by suicide rates are rising. Why do we only have one particular day where most people raise awareness of Suicide?

I do support #WorldSuicidePreventionDay of course, I just don’t understand why many people decide to raise awareness on that one day. Suicide is still an incredibly taboo subject. It needs to be spoken about, on any day. It should be OK to speak out.

I know just how isolating it feels to suffer with these dark thoughts alone. I haven’t known who to turn to, didn’t want to burden anyone and mostly didn’t want to hurt them. I am surrounded by people I love dearly but I fear I cannot talk about how I am feeling so I do not upset them. There are days where the urges are so intense but I have to battle through it alone.

Everyday should be a day where we can talk about how we are feeling, where we can talk about our history, where we can talk about suicide awareness. This is why this post appears today.

I am proud though that times ARE changing, as little as 5 years ago I remember people being scared of me for even mentioning the S word. This could’ve been in a general conversation or when I was taking about how I was feeling. It good that there is a day where emphasis is placed on raising awareness, we just need a reminder that we can talk about it any other day too.

Here are some Suicide rates statistics for you, it proves just how important awareness so continue to be:

• In 2017, males accounted for three-quarters of suicides registered. (Office for National Statistics)
• Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States, in 2017 it claimed the lives of 47,000 people.
• In 2018 the rates of deaths by suicide among under 25s increased by 23.7%. (Samaritans)
• As of 2018, in Scotland, the suicide rate among young people aged 15-24 increased by 52.7%. This is the highest rate its been since 2007. (Samaritans)

If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m always here. I can also direct you to helplines that I’ve reached out to in the past too. If you are in immediate danger please dial 999.

Remember to look out for those around you, maybe offer them a cup of tea and a chat, or simply, give them a little smile.

Love to each and everyone of you.

The Battle in my Brain Author X X X