Stigma and suicide

• In this interview, Jonny Tatam Hall, who lost his best friend Tom to suicide, interviews mental health advocate and author of ‘I’m Not As Well As I Thought I Was’, Ruby Wax on her experiences of suicidality:

• “For workplaces to be truly supportive, staff and managers should feel able to ask the question of their colleagues about suicide and then respond in an appropriate way.” NSPA Lived Experience Influencer, Andy Willis, shares how having a conversation about suicide in the workplace can help organisations become truly supportive.
• “My self-stigma stopped and, in its place, arrived stigma often from the very people telling me it’s ok not to be OK.” NSPA Lived Experience Influencer, Emma Williams, shares her reflections on stigma and living with suicidality.
• “Stigma and fear are holding us back from saving thousands of lives per year from dying by suicide and millions more being bereaved, exposed to, or affected by suicide. This conversation can no longer wait.”  NSPA Lived Experience Influencer, Helen Birch, shares her experience of being bereaved by suicide and reflects on why talking about suicide is so important.
• “Stigma can affect anyone. That is why being mindful of our language is not just for professionals and organisations, but work we should all be doing.” Hollie Starling, NSPA Lived Experience Influencer and member of the working group for the NSPA’s Language Matters campaign, shares why language is so important and what we can all be doing to challenge stigma around suicide.

• The Suicide Prevention Consortium has been exploring suicide and stigma within Roma, Showmen, Gypsy, and New Traveller communities. This work involved speaking directly with community members to understand their experiences and highlight what matters most to them. Through a series of audiograms, they have shared key insights, including what they want policymakers to understand about suicide and stigma.

• During an NSPA member discussion, we explored how supportive workplaces can address suicide stigma at work. This blog post summarises the key themes and strategies that emerged from that conversation.
• During an NSPA member discussion, we heard insights from Roma Support Group and Friends, Families & Travellers  about the work they are doing to challenge suicide stigma within Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller (GRT) communities. 
  
• We heard from Philippa Carr, Senior Mental Health Education and Suicide Prevention Manager at Jami (part of Jewish Care), about how they are tackling suicide stigma within the Jewish community.
• Roma Support Group’s Mental Health Project aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of Roma community members. The project focuses on empowering community members to communicate more openly about mental health issues and suicide to reduce stigma and misinformation.
• Farming Community Network in Somerset are a voluntary organisation and charity, supporting farmers and families within the farming community. They run a confidential national helpline and e-helpline providing a listening service specifically for the farming community.

Starting a conversation about suicide:

• This resource from Leeds Beckett University provides guidance on how to start a conversation about suicide and what to do if someone says they are suicidal.
• It’s normal to feel anxious about starting a conversation, but it can help people who are struggling to open up. This Small Talk Saves Lives resource by Samaritans includes advice on the signs someone might need help, how to start the conversation, and what to do next.
• Talking Faith in Suicide Prevention by Faith Action aims to support faith-informed conversations about suicide prevention and postvention with members of the public. It was developed in collaboration with representatives of six faith traditions, as well as front-line workers and people with lived experience, including NSPA Lived Experience Influencers.
• Talking about suicide does not increase the risk. It can save lives. This resource by PAPYRUS includes conversation starters if you are worried about someone.

Language for talking about suicide:

• This resource covers some of the language to avoid, alternatives to say instead and why this is important.

Talking about suicide online:

• Whether it’s on social media, forums, or even in a private chat with friends, the way we talk about suicide online can have an impact on ourselves and others. This online safety guidance from Samaritans shares top tips for talking about suicide safely online.

Supporting others: 

• Our Save a Life cards provide some tips on how to look after yourself and others.
• This resource from Mind explains how to support someone who feels suicidal, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support.
• In this series of resources, Frances Bromley shares the importance of active listening, how to be an active listener and tools to help someone struggling.

Reducing stigma in racialised communities:

• Black people in the UK are more likely to experience mental health problems, yet less likely to get the right support. This is why the Black Mental Health and Wellbeing Alliance are launching the Black Mental Health Manifesto. This sets out a clear vision and practical steps towards a just society where Black people can thrive, and their mental health is supported in a way that places their identity at the centre.
• One of the core missions of Sehhat is to highlight the impact of suicide within the Punjabi and South Asian Communities. They have developed bilingual resources for communities to be able to approach conversations, learn about suicide, and give advice on how to prevent suicide.
• Sehhat and the Sikh Forgiveness project developed a study to understand how Punjabi communities can tackle the need for better support relating to suicide.

Talking about bereavement by suicide:

• Talking about suicide helps to reduce stigma and this short guide by Support After Suicide Partnership aims to help people feel comfortable to reach out and offer support to someone bereaved by suicide.

Reducing stigma in the workplace:

• This resource by som (supporting occupational health and wellbeing professionals),  provides evidence-informed guidance and recommendations for organisations to respond to the death by suicide of a colleague, or the unexpected death of a colleague from other causes. It aims to help organisations navigate the complexities and sensitivities involved in such tragic events, ensuring they provide the support required to maintain a healthy and compassionate workplace.
• This guide on how to have a conversation about mental health at work from Charlie Waller Trust aims to help employers start a conversation about mental health with their employees. There is also a guide on how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental health difficulties at work.
• Business in the Community worked with Department of Health and Social Care and Samaritans to create a suicide prevention and postvention toolkit for employers. They are each designed to help every organisation support the mental and physical health and wellbeing of its employees.

• Talking really does matter: Lay perspectives from older people on talking about suicide in later life:  This study explores the barriers and opportunities for discussing suicidal thoughts among older adults. The findings highlight the importance of more informal discussions around these topics and how care professionals, practitioners, and providers might frame opportunities for dialogue with people who may want to access support.
• Barriers to help seeking in suicidal men: A systematic literature review:  This paper explores how self and societal appraisals may impact help-seeking behaviours in men experiencing suicidal ideation.

• Small Talk Saves Lives Campaign: This behavior-change campaign from Samaritans encourages people to seek help and empowers others to support those who may be struggling. It provides practical tools for intervention, including a How to Start a Conversation page and other valuable resources
• Baton of Hope: Baton of Hope is about opening up a national conversation about suicide to help eradicate stigma. The first Baton of Hope took place in 2023 and was the UK’s largest suicide prevention initiative.

Language Matters: Stigma and Suicide

Rosie Ellis, Executive Lead of the NSPA, discusses the stigma of suicide, its impact on help-seeking, and the focus of NSPA’s autumn campaign, Language Matters. Professor Zaffer Iqbal and Emma Williams then share their reflections on stigma and strategies to address it.

The impact of language on stigma surrounding suicide 

In this webinar, NSPA Lived Experience Influencer, David Breakspear, shared his insights on how language shapes stigma and ways to challenge harmful terms. Dennis Baldwin, Project Manager at Reach Out; Start to End Suicide (Start Inspiring Minds), discussed tackling stigma locally and key considerations for conversations about suicide.

Involving young people with lived experience in suicide prevention

We were joined by members of the Youth Advisory Group, Youth Involvement Officer, and Dr Maria Michail from the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Mental Health for a panel discussion. They explained how the Institute involve young Experts by Experience in the design, implementation, and translation of suicide prevention research.

The panel highlighted the opportunities and impact gained from true partnerships between researchers and Experts by Experience and how this approach was used to produce #MyGPguide.

#MyGPguide is an evidence-based resource, designed by young people, for young people with lived experience of self harm or suicidality. It is designed to prepare young people for their GP consultation about their mental health.

Stigma following a suicide attempt 

During this webinar, we heard from NSPA Lived Experience Influencers, Alice Brockway and Jeremy O’Dwyer and Anti-Racism and Organisational Change Consultant, Steven Gilbert OBE. They shared their lived and living experiences of suicidality and explored their experiences of stigma following a suicide attempt.