Don't keep calm and carry on: this campaigns's a call to action

The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), marked World Suicide Prevention Day 2024 with a gut-wrenching but eye-opening installation called Missed Birthdays. 6,929 balloons were set up in Westfield, White City to commemorate every young person (people under 24) who has taken their own life over the last decade (2012/2022). Each balloon displayed the age they would have turned if they’d made it to their birthday.

10 years ago, the single biggest killer of young people in the UK was accidents. Now, it’s suicide. The statistics are clear, but this installation aimed to highlight the figure physically and remind us that these people aren’t statistics, they’re human beings. As you walked through it, you could also hear voice notes created by family members talking about the people they lost. The lost futures. The lost potential. The lost love. It’s an upsetting, scary prospect for anyone to face, but it’s something that can’t be ignored.

Looking at the wider issue, suicide impacts too many people on a daily basis. Family. Friends. Colleagues. One in five of us lives with suicidal thoughts, and every 90 minutes, someone loses their life to suicide. Yes, that’s in the UK alone. And yet the ‘S’ word still has huge stigma and shame surrounding it. Some can’t bear to utter it, let alone talk about having thoughts of it. Even talking about mental health struggles can cause some people to visibly tense up.

I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and felt it, viscerally, when speaking about my own mental health, suicidal ideation and attempts. I’ve had responses like ‘don’t say that’, ‘that would be selfish’, and ‘you look fine’. A doctor once said, ‘life’s not that hard!’. And on a lot of those occasions, I simply shut down and felt ashamed. And none of the thoughts I was having went away. Luckily, I was eventually able to seek help elsewhere. And now I use my voice and experiences to smash the stigma and try to prevent another lost life.

Speaking about suicide won’t make it happen. In fact, talking about it can literally stop it in its tracks. There’s more power in being forthright and saying the thing nobody wants to say, because ignoring it will only perpetuate the stigma. Having these conversations –around the dinner table, over coffee, in the office – can be lifesaving.

But where to start? CALM’s thought of that too, with their C.A.R.E kit. It’s an excellent guide for anyone (parents, uncles, teachers, colleagues) who wants to get more comfortable having conversations about mental health and suicide with young people. It’s not just for when they’re at crisis point, but a means to open up the lines of communication and show them there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You don’t need to be an expert, and you can be honest about that. You just need to commit to supporting them.

C.A.R.E stands for:

CHECK IN

ASK HOW THEY ARE

REMAIN CLOSE

EXPERT HELP

You can get more information about the kit, and how to use it, here.

It’s truly tragic that so many people get to the point where they feel that taking their own life is the only option. But we can show them that the future can be brighter than the past or present. And CALM’s work and helpline play a huge role in that. If you can support them, through a donation or fundraising, find out how here.

If you’re struggling (now or in the future) and need support, or someone to talk to, it’s available. Learn about it here.