I think it's time we talked about it.

Suicide.
The banned topic.
And the one that really needs talking about.


It's hard. So if you want to walk away from this now, that's fine. Just close the window, or tab, or whatever you are viewing this on. It's up to you.
I just can't keep ignoring it any more.


But... to be honest, I don't really know where to start. 


I suppose I should explain the clip, first. It's from Glee, Season 3 episode 14. When I saw this part of the episode, I was tearing up. It broke my heart. I don't know how anyone could watch that without feeling emotional. The whole episode needs to be watched really. There's so much more of this story that you need to know, but I figure you wouldn't really mind about the rest of it. So I thought you could just have that for now.
So... in brief. The guy who chooses to kill himself is called Dave. He's in his last year of high school. He is a regular guy. He loves sport, is intelligent, has loads of friends, but he used to bully this gay guy Kurt. Why? Because he himself is gay, and he hates that. He hates that Kurt can stand tall and proud about who he is, when he just can't. Eventually, something changes in him. He knows he has been wrong. So he becomes a much better person, trying so hard to make up for what he had done. But he is still to afraid to come out. He changed schools, and everything seemed to get better for him. Until his new friends found out he was gay. Their bullying drove him to the edge within days. As you saw, he can't take the pain any more. He tries to commit suicide. Fortunately, his Dad finds him in time, and he survives.


I don't really know what I am trying to say with the video. I guess it was just a way of opening your eyes...


A message from the actor: 

Even the strongest people can fall to the bottom, and not get up.


I don't know if you know how it feels to be on the very edge. I don't know if any of you have ever considered or tried committing suicide. I do. And I really hope you haven't. There aren't really words to explain how it feels. How it feels to have lost all hope, and all joy in life. It feels very dark. And it's lonely. If all your friends have walked away or just don't understand... well... it's really hard to keep holding on. I was lucky. I was so so lucky. Someone stopped me from getting to the point where I went through with it. Other people aren't so lucky. Some people don't get rescued. They reach the edge, and they jump. A whole, beautiful life... lost forever. Because they got pushed too far. And no one cared.


I know suicide doesn't seem very real to some people. People started complaining that Glee went too far by addressing this issue. I disagree. Suicide happens all the time. Successful or not, someone could step of the edge any second. And it happens almost every second.


Suicide is the leading cause of death, particularly in young people, both in England and Worldwide.
It is estimated that around 1 million people will die by suicide worldwide each year.
During 2008, there were 4,282 suicides in England, and there are at least 140,000 attempted suicides each year in England and Wales.
On average, there is one death from suicide every few minutes.
1 in 65000 children aged 10 to 14 commit suicide each year.


There are so many causes of suicide. Look here for some research into that.
It is rarely the same from one person to the next.
And just because someone wants to commit suicide, they are not weak. It just means that stress or another cause has overwhelmed their coping mechanisms, and no matter how hard they fought the darkness, it took over.


Suicide isn't that far away. But nobody ever realises that, because no one wants to hear it. 


But please... I beg you... Just listen.


Suicide happens.
It happens all around us, all the time.
But it isn't hopeless.
There is always something you can do.


NHS - Suicide - Help Others


Getting help yourself


The most suggested way of helping other people, or even trying to help yourself, is to just talk. It doesn't really matter who to - parent, guardian, GP, close friend, the Samaritans, etc.
But talking does help. 
I wish I'd talked. I know if I had, I wouldn't have been so close to the edge that only Ladybird could save me.
If someone you know, or even a stranger, looks like they need someone, just go over to them and see what you can do. Whether they want to talk about how they are really feeling doesn't really matter. Just try and make them smile. And if they do want to talk about it, let them. Try an understand. Remind them that they are not alone. A random act of kindness from a stranger or a friend can brighten a few minutes of someone's day, or even give them some hope. And that could make all the difference.




This part is to you, if you are on the edge, or having suicidal or self-harming thoughts...
Please, please don't let yourself get to the edge. You could have such a bright, bright future.
You may be feeling completely alone, but there is always someone out there who cares. That I can promise you. You are never alone. Someone you know may have even been in that same dark place. There's always someone to talk to, and there is always someone who cares.


Life isn't easy. I'm not stupid enough to lie to you about that. But it can get better, and as Kit and others like to remind me: If it isn't better, it isn't over.


Thank you for reading.