We want to raise awareness about suicide prevention, to help reduce the stigma and highlight the support available for colleagues – helping you to look after yourselves and each other.
One in 5 of us will have suicidal thoughts within our lifetime.
However, the thoughts and feelings that drive suicide are often temporary. Most people who think about suicide don't want to die – but they're at a place where ending their lives by suicide seems like the only option left.
Research and evidence show that on a person's journey to taking their own life there are always opportunities for intervention or for a change in direction. Suicide is not inevitable, and in most cases, it's preventable.
Risk factors
More than 6,000 people die by suicide each year in the UK. Around 100 of those are from the Derby and Derbyshire area. Within Derby and Derbyshire we have above the national average for recorded deaths by suicide.
Around three-quarters of people who take their own life locally are not known to mental health services, meaning people in everyday life who experience a series of pressures or incidents can be at risk.
There's no single factor that drives someone to take their own life, but a multitude of factors that, over time, can lead to emotional distress and overwhelming feelings which can cause some people to have suicidal ideation.
Early intervention is key
Suicide prevention begins long before anyone reaches a point of crisis, and early intervention is key.
We know that a multitude of factors can cause suicidal ideation. Influencing risk factors include stressors such as pressures at work, financial instability, housing problems, relationship issues, health concerns, lifestyle challenges, and exposure to trauma.
Getting interventions in place before people get to the stage where they are having suicidal thoughts is an important step towards preventing suicide, and there's access to a range of resources.
Talk about suicide
Alongside early intervention, it's important to open-up conversations about suicide.
Research tells us that it's good to talk about suicide directly, and by doing so you'll not make things worse.
We want you to feel able and comfortable talking about suicide, so that if you needed to, you could have those lifesaving conversations.
To support you to talk to people about suicide you can take the short online training by the Zero Suicide Alliance on Derbyshire Learning Online. This course is a fantastic resource. It's fully comprehensive and easy to do – just 20 minutes of your time could potentially help to save a life.
Early intervention support
We also provide a wealth of early intervention support for staff, helping to keep you healthy, safe and well.
Employee assistance programme (EAP)
The EAP provides support and guidance for colleagues with a range of personal and/or professional-related problems that can affect overall wellbeing. This includes:
- counselling: access a range of counselling services including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), trauma intervention and support for anxiety and depression
- financial support: information, help and guidance for financial issues such as debt management, budgeting, mortgage advice, benefits and grants
- legal information: support with legal matters such as divorce, wills and probate, motoring issues, and personal injury, in addition to consumer, property, or neighbour disputes that can cause emotional distress
- bereavement support: advice, guidance, and counselling for grief in bereavement, as well as legal support for grief related legal matters
- helpline: speak to a trained and experienced counsellor or access practical information, support and guidance by calling the free, confidential UK based helpline, telephone: 0800 756 0834 available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
The EAP also gives you exclusive access to its bespoke Wisdom App, helping you to track wellness, improve your mental and physical health and stay resilient during tough times.
Find out more about the EAP and the Wisdom App.
Mental health support
You can find a wide range of services designed to protect, maintain, promote and support mental health, including access to mental health first aiders.
Wellbeing
Through our partnership with Joined Up Care Derbyshire, our employees have free access a wealth of wellbeing services to support their physical and emotional wellbeing.
The wellbeing timetable, consisting of more than 250 support sessions each month, provides a range of free workshops, webinars, courses, clubs, activities, and dedicated colleague-support cafés.
Keeping safe
If you're experiencing suicidal thoughts, developing a safety plan (when you're not highly emotionally distressed) can help to keep you safe.
The following resources provide guidance about making a safety plan, alongside easy-to-navigate tools and information to help those having thoughts of suicide or those concerned about someone who may be at risk:
- Staying Safe - a free online resource for anyone distressed, thinking about suicide or worried about someone they care about which includes a comprehensive safety plan template
- Stay Alive App (by Grassroots) - download this pocket suicide prevention app for the UK, packed full of useful information and tools to help people stay safe in crisis and an online safety plan
If you've been affected by suicide
If you've been affected by the death of someone from suicide, The Tomorrow Project can help. They provide information, advice and emotional support to anyone:
- of any age
- who might be struggling following a suicide
- regardless of relationship to the person they lost
Together we can make a difference and help save lives.