EVERY LIFE LOST TO SUICIDE IS A TRAGEDY AND THERE IS STILL A HUGE AMOUNT OF WORK TO BE DONE


How can organisations help address the issue?


Mental health champions By implementing mental health champions into your organisation, you can ensure there is a first line of support and signposting available for your staff. Having a supportive conversation at the right time can often prevent a tragic loss.


Ensuring that the knowledge and experience of your champions are up to date, and they are confident to face potentially difficult scenarios can help ensure an effective service.


Upskill your line managers. Ensure your line managers have the right training and skills to spot signs of suicidal thoughts and effectively signpost to appropriate avenues.


Read about how you can upskill your managers to support the mental health of your staff. Encouraging compassionate leadership can help staff open up and beat the stigma around mental health conversations at work.


How to start a conversation with someone Just being there to listen and showing you care can help. Here are some tips on how to open up a conversation with someone you’re worried about:


• Choose a good time, and somewhere without distractions.


• Use open questions that need more than a yes/no answer.


• ‘How are things, I’ve noticed you don’t seem quite yourself?’


• Listen well. ‘How’s that making you feel?’ • Avoid giving your view of what’s wrong, or what they should do.


It's normal to feel anxious about asking someone if they’re suicidal, but it could save someone's life. Try and avoid saying things like ‘you’re not thinking of doing something stupid are you?’. Being patient and showing you care builds trust and helps someone to open up.


The language we use matters Remember these dos and don’ts: • Don’t share or repost anything that talks about suicide or self-harm in an unsafe way online


• Do report content you think might be harmful • Do post sources of support and share stories of hope and recovery


• Don’t mention the method or location of a suicide; there’s evidence that this can lead to further suicides


• If you’re worried about someone, do ask if they’re feeling suicidal, and help them get the support they need


• Don’t use language that could come across as judgmental. For example, ‘don’t do anything stupid’.


• Don’t say committed suicide. ‘Committed’ suggests suicide is illegal, which it isn’t.


• Do say took his/her/their own life or died by suicide.


• Don’t share or repost anything that talks about suicide or self-harm in an unsafe way online • Do report content you think might be harmful


Encourage help-seeking and including sources of support, such as Samaritans. Whatever you’re going through, you can call Samaritans free any time on 116 123 or email: jo@samaritans.org


Suicide – the facts


•More than 6,000 people across the UK and Republic of Ireland take their own lives each year. Tens of thousands more attempt suicide.


• Suicide is more common among some groups than others. For example, it is more likely among men than women, and in particular men in their 40s and 50s from a lower socio-economic group.


• There is no evidence to suggest that asking someone if they are OK will make them feel worse. Talking can help.


• Only a third of people who die by suicide have been in contact with specialist mental health services in the year before their death.


•People living in Scotland’s most deprived areas remain more than three times more likely to die by suicide than those living in the least deprived areas. At local council level, suicide rates were higher in Highland, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, and Glasgow City.


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