6 Mar 2009

Focus on Suicide Prevention

Mental Health Matters is planning to further develop its early intervention and suicide prevention work in the coming year in partnership with other mental health organisations. The work will be led by the newly created post of Deputy Director, Research and Development (Prevention and Education) Initiatives.

A key part of this work will be our support of the suicide prevention initiative, If U Care Share. If U Care Share was set up by a North East family whose oldest child Daniel died from suicide in 2005, despite having no previous history of mental ill health or depression. Devastated by this tragedy and keen to prevent other families going through the same experience, his brothers and cousin came up with the idea of handing out wristbands carrying the message, "IF U CARE SHARE". Aimed at young people, the wristband features the email address for Samaritans on the inside and encourages them to share a problem with someone rather than keep it inside.
For more information on this please go to the current Mental Health Matters Newsletter on our website.