Today marks World Suicide Prevention Day. Just a normal Sunday for some, but for people living with mental health struggles, it’s another day of smiling through the constant internal nagging of unhappiness. And for others, it’s a gut-wrenching reminder of losing a loved one to suicide.
As humans, we tend to forget to connect to our fellow beings, life becomes too busy to reach out, with the idea that we’ll make contact when we get a quiet moment, but that moment rarely comes or when it does come, something more urgent pops up and needs our attention.
There are two sides to this coin though. We are also predisposed to see the positive, to not ‘complain’ and to be ‘grateful’ because ‘things could be a lot worse.’
There is such a huge stigma attached to depression, in particular, and what constitutes depression. We were never really taught that it’s okay to feel mentally unwell.
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Some of the effects of stigma include isolation, not talking and a reluctance to ask for help or get treatment. Suicidal behaviour tends to run in families. By having conversations about suicide, people affected realise they are not alone and are then more likely to reach out for help.
Odette van Rensburg and Eric Gauss from Dogs on the Run production company have created a documentary of unscripted stories of people affected by suicide in the hope that the impact of the film, will continue conversations around suicide to reduce the stigma.
Video: The trailer of DISCONNECTED – a raw look into people’s reality who are affected by suicide and depression.
*Trigger warning / not for sensitive viewers.
The world needs to have an urgent conversation about depression and suicide in order to change the narrative and reduce the stigma around mental health. This conversation needs to form part of the foundation that our schooling education system is built on so that children are made aware of mental health and are comfortable enough talking about it and reaching out for help.
DISCONNECTED is a documentary that should be seen by anyone in the medical field, educators from high school to university level, religious leaders, and anyone that are in leadership and guidance positions.
Resources:
Reach out for help – The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG).
Here are a few “warning” signs by SADAG.
Be concerned about depressed persons if at least five of the following symptoms have been present nearly every day for at least two weeks:
- Depressed mood
- Change in sleeping patterns
- Change in appetite or weight
- Speaking or moving with unusual speed or slowness
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feelings of worthlessness, self-reproach or guilt thoughts of death or suicide
Additional factors that point to an increased risk for suicide in depressed individuals are:
- Extreme anxiety, agitation or enraged behaviour
- Excessive drug and/or alcohol use or abuse
- History of physical or emotional illness
- Feelings of hopelessness or desperation
Taking these signs seriously is serious. 75% of all suicides give some warning of their intentions to a friend or family member.
Suicide shouldn’t be a secret and the taboo which surrounds it needs to be de-stigmatised in order to create a safe place for those suffering to come forward without fear of judgment.
‘We cannot measure the value of life cut short by suicide. We cannot calculate the impact a person might have had on the world around them or on the people whose lives they may have touched. But through a partnership between survivors, business and community leaders, scientists and dedicated individuals we can vanish this needless tragedy,’ says SADAG.
Emergency helpline numbers:
- Dr Reddy’s Help Line
0800 21 22 23 - Cipla 24hr Mental Health Helpline
0800 456 789 - Adcock Ingram Depression and Anxiety Helpline
0800 70 80 90 - Suicide Crisis Line
0800 567 567 - SADAG Mental Health Line
011 234 4837 - Akeso Psychiatric Response Unit 24-Hour
0861 435 787 - Cipla Whatsapp Chat Line
076 882 2775
For more information, from signs, warnings, triggers and assistance, to post-traumatic follow-ups for family members, I urge you to visit SADAG’s website. Here you’ll find an abundance of resources.
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Picture: Dogs on the Run production / Facebook