Tuesday, 10 September 2013

World Suicide Prevention Day ~ Remembering G

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day . I'm thinking of those who battle mental illness and their families ; especially thinking of my cousin G  (1965 ~ 1990)

Twenty three years ago my vibrant , boisterous and funny cousin G , committed suicide at 24yrs. G was only a year or so older than me. It stunned and shattered me. He was my mate. It was out of the blue or so it seemed

G had spent some time living with our family and we thought we knew him well (or so NOT !). No one really knew he suffered depression.

He had a new job, a partner who was expecting his first child (we think) and he was due to receive compensation payout for a back injury. A painful one. Then he was gone. G had his life on track, everything to live for after a period of being unsettled and having tough luck.

My father received a phone call one morning to ask him to identify G's body. I know not how or why my Dad was the one. It was devastating. It profoundly affected my Dad for a long time.  I honesty don't know the exact details (who talks about this kind of thing ) ... G hung himself in bushland not far from where he lived , near where my Dad worked too.

I remember my husband telling me, he answered the phone call. After rivers of tears , I searched through all my wedding photos and my wedding video (taken 3 months before) to watch G, to see why we had missed whatever. I saw nothing but his smiling face. 


For a long time I grieved G. I couldn't begin to understand the fact that he hadn't asked for help. There was more to it. I long, even now, to find where I packed my photos and see his face again.

I wished G was had known he could ask for help , 23yrs ago there was still a lot of stigma attached to mental illness and depression. It was very much Chin up mate , have a another beer . Harden up.

Nobody knew. He told no-one he was struggling .

I am so thankful attitudes have shifted and organisations exist to help those who suffer depression. The stigma is not such a burden or is it ?
 

There is no shame in speaking out about depression . The more we talk the more others understand. Being honest allows others to not feel so alone, if they face the same issues and are feeling ashamed or unsure . The problem lies when people want to keep it a secret and attach blame or interfere in unhelpful ways.The attitudes need to shift.

Let's keep talking. It is a day to reduce stigma, raise awareness & remember loved ones struggling or lost #WSPD

Remember you never have to solve problems on your own. There is strength in asking for help. Call a friend, chat online, or ring a stranger.


Remember, depression is an illness, not a weakness and effective treatments are available. It's important to seek help early and with the right treatment most people recover. If you are concerned that you or someone you know may be suffering from depression talk to a doctor or another health professional today. If we talk about depression and work together we can make a difference.

Steve Andrews

 If you're thinking about harming yourself or ending your life call


Lifeline Crisis Support | 13 11 14 (24/7)
Kids Helpline | 1800 551 800
MensLine Australia | 1300 789 978
Suicide Call Back Service | 1300 659 467
SANE Australia Helpline | 1800 18 7263
Veteran's Line | 1800 011 046
ADF All Hours Line | 1800 628 036
DV Counselling Line | 1800 737 732

Linking up with Essentially Jess #IBOT
 

Comments (11)

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Oh Trish, it seems most of us have been touched by suicide. I'm glad that there is so much more support these days. It's hard living with the unanswered questions.
What a difficult thing Trish. There is a lot of support but people still need to reach out. Campaigns like this can help raise awareness and take the stigma away.
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I can't imagine how desperate someone must feel to get to this point. And how do they keep up such a happy facade when they are feeling so much pain? we try to make sense of it, ask why, but there is no sense to depression or suicide. Thank God for the organisations that exist, but there is still such a long way to go. I am so sorry for your and your family's loss, but thankful for you sharing your story. xo Aroha
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Mental illness had such a bad stigma in the past, that it was not spoken off. Its great that these days, it is recognised as an illness and that support is available.
My heart goes out to you & your family Trish. Thanks for sharing this story. So glad that society is starting to support people (especially Men) during the hard times. Big Hugs x
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What a heartbreaking story, I am really sorry for your loss, it doesn't matter that time has passed, the grief and the hurt lingers. I really hope that above many other things, our society becomes more aware and open when it comes to discussing depression - it is just too important not to. Josefa from #teamIBOT
Thanks for sharing Trish. A moving post ... it's good to see there is more support out there. xx
So sorry for your loss. It is wonderful to see so many bloggers discussing suicide. Fairy wishes and butterfly kisses lovely lady
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I bet it was a shock for you Trish. Sad :( And it's only in the past 10 to 15 years that depression, mental illness and suicide has been bought out of the shadows and rightly so. I'm so fortunate not to suffer from any of the above. xx
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EssentiallyJess · 618 weeks ago

I'm so sorry Trish.
I have a friend who is currently struggling with the death of a family member fairly recently, and seeing its effect is just heartbreaking.
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