Suicide prevention month

September is Suicide Prevention Month in the UK that brings awareness to mental health issues and suicide itself. On Suicide Prevention Day, which was on September 10th, many like to remember the people that have been lost to suicide.

With the leading cause of death for males under 40, suicide is an issue in the UK. On average, 18 people die to suicide every day nationwide. There is a fairly simple answer as to why three-quarters of suicides are male, and that is because of the toxic expectations that are put on males for them to behave “manly”. From young age, males are taught to keep their emotions and thoughts to themselves and to “man up” if they cry. This builds up the emotions and can make people feel isolated with their feelings, especially if they suffer from loneliness.

That is not to say suicide is limited to one sex only. Many people tend to feel lonely in big cities such as London as they lack the close-knit communities smaller towns may provide. So, if you’re a first-year student reading this, please know that if you feel lonely coming to London that is perfectly normal and you’re definitely not alone!

As COVID-19 continues to cause us worry worldwide, many have had to isolate and fall further into their loneliness. Luckily, there are many resources online to help you with your feelings:

UCL Support and Wellbeing - link

CALM - link

The Samaritans - link

Papyrus UK - link

Crisis Text Line UK - link

Young Minds Crisis Messenger - link