World Suicide Prevention Day 2022

By Alice O'Brien, Churchview Psychotherapy, Millstreet

For almost two years now I have been lucky enough to write articles for this magazine. I try to give informative mental health information with a bit of humour and wit added in. As we approach World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th I would like to face a difficult topic with the respect it deserves. So, I here is a few things I have learnt over the years:

When you are going through a mental health crisis, your mind tells you lots of lies. Things are never what they seem. You are loved, you are needed and people want you around. Your thoughts and feeling might be telling you differently but thoughts and feeling are not facts.

When people end their life by suicide- that’s exactly what they do- end their life. They are no longer around to see the devastation left behind. It’s the loved ones that have to carry that burden. They will never have another Christmas day without sadness; they will look longing at the empty chair on their wedding day and wish you were in it, they will never have a happy day without seeing the shadow of your loss. They will forever have questions that can only be answered by the one person who is no longer around.

The best days of your life are often in your future and are yet to come. You don’t know the people you are yet to meet, where you might travel to, what experiences you are yet to have. Ending your life robs you of that future. You are making a very permanent decision based on some very temporary feeling- and feeling are not facts. Your friends and your family would much prefer to listen to you and support you than attend your funeral or polish your headstone.

Lastly, and most importantly, there is always a reason to stay alive; there are people that love you, people that need you. You have a purpose that you may not see yet so wait for it to be revealed.

If you are struggling reach out. Make a call. Contact your GP. Talk to a friend. Do whatever you need to do to stay alive, your future will thank you for it. Pieta house - 1800 247 247. Samaritans - 116 123.