Stigmatising suicide: Can our attitudes prevent it?
Leaflet about attitudes towards
people who are suicidal, factual information and what you can do to
help
What is it like to be suicidal? How do we feel about people
who decide to kill themselves? Do we hold negative attitudes
towards them? What should we do to help people who are
suicidal?
These are some of the questions raised in this thoughtful and
challenging article written for the Campaign website by
psychiatrists Gethin Morgan and Philip Seager in consultation with
Samaritans.
Over 5,000 people in England and Wales kill themselves each
year. Suicide is as common among young adults as in the elderly,
and there are worrying upward trends, especially among young
men.
The article answers questions such as ‘Are suicidal people
mentally ill?’ and explores the suicidal state of mind. In
particular, it examines our attitudes towards people who are
suicidal, and challenges a number of negative thoughts about
suicide and its prevention.
It emphasises that people expressing
suicidal ideas should be listened to and taken seriously. Our
reaction to them may – literally – make all the difference between
life and death
For further information about the
Campaign, please e-mail:
stigma@rcpsych.ac.uk