Suicide and stigma

Stigma can leave someone feeling helpless and alone. Shame and fear of judgement can stop them from feeling able to talk about what they’re experiencing and prevent them from asking for the help and support they need.

Talking about suicide in a way that is compassionate and non-judgemental opens-up conversation and can:

• Encourage help-seeking behaviour – help someone feel safe to share how they’re feeling and ask for support.
• Support awareness and understanding – better awareness and broader understanding around suicide means more people can recognise what they can do to support suicide prevention.
• Help the development of effective support systems – the more equipped people feel to talk about suicide, the greater insight and understanding we gain. With this, we can develop support systems to help meet differing needs.
• Help create a more compassionate society – a more compassionate and kinder society is less likely to contribute to suicidal feelings.