*TW: Mentions Suicide
Our ardour for safeguarding individuals doesn’t cease with on-line security. We deeply look after our individuals, their households and pals, and our communities.
To acknowledge World Suicide Prevention on Sept. 10 and assist normalize and encourage conversations about psychological well being year-round, we lately hosted a dialogue with McAfee colleagues and suicide prevention activist and proprietor of The Jordan Legacy, Steve Phillip. During this session Steve mentioned his personal private lived expertise of suicide and what he’s discovered since establishing The Jordan Legacy in the case of creating an open and secure setting for all.
Tell us a bit about The Jordan Legacy?
“I established The Jordan Legacy in 2020, following the suicide of my 34-year-old son, Jordan, in December 2019. It’s a registered not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC), whose mission is to raise awareness about suicide, open the conversation, help remove the stigma surrounding this topic and importantly, engage with communities and workplaces to discuss and identify practical solutions which will help prevent suicide.”
Why is World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) vital?
“#WSPD is important in highlighting the biggest killer of men and women under the age of 35. According to the W.H.O, we lose 700,000 people globally to suicide every year – that’s one person every 45 seconds. On average, each suicide will impact 135 other people. This means that more than 95 million people are impacted by suicide annually! And while #WSPD is an important day to highlight, it’s fundamental that we recognize that suicide awareness needs to happen 365 days a year.”
Why are there stigmas surrounding psychological well being and suicide?
“There are several reasons why stigmas surrounding mental health and suicide exist. Generally, it’s due to a lack of understanding and people making assumptions – such as those with a mental health illness could be dangerous, unreliable or unemployable. Cultural backgrounds also play a part in creating stigma – certain cultures see mental illness and suicide as a taboo subject. The language used around mental health and suicide can also create stigma. In the UK, the act of attempting suicide was decriminalized in 1961 and yet the term ‘committed suicide’ is still frequently used, in the same way as commit murder or commit assault.”
How can we open-up a dialog and help somebody who may be scuffling with their psychological well being?
“It’s important to ask people how they are with a genuine intent to listen to and understand their reply. Most people who are struggling with their mental health don’t necessarily want you to fix them, but they do want to feel that they’re being listened to. Ask open-ended questions, such as ‘tell me how are you really feeling?’, ‘explain to me how this is impacting on you?’, ‘describe to me, how this is making you feel?”
How can we create hope via motion – as members of the family, pals, and colleagues?
“We need to become a kinder and more compassionate society by recognizing that everyone can, at some point in their lives, struggle with poor mental health. Understanding this, would hopefully cause people to be less frustrated with others who don’t behave as they expect they might. We also need to check-in with family members, friends and colleagues more frequently and ask them ‘how are you really doing?”
How can we glance after our personal well-being?
“I am one of those individuals who probably works too hard and for too long! However, road cycling is a big escape for me and getting out in the fresh air in the countryside is a huge help. As is my part-time hobby of playing the drums – you can lose a lot of pent-up stress whilst playing along to Nirvana!! It’s so important that you make sure to look after yourself. So, my advice is to find out what works for you – whether that’s going for a walk, talking to a friend, speaking to a counsellor, joining a local group or seeing what resources are available to you through your company’s EAP. And remember most importantly to be kind to yourself.”
If you or somebody you already know is struggling, please name or textual content 988 to get help. And keep in mind, you aren’t alone.
Together we are able to forestall suicide 💛