App to stop fatalities

HALTON residents have the opportunity to download an innovative free app that will help save people from suicide for World Suicide Prevention Day.

To mark the International Association For Suicide Prevention’s (IASP) World Suicide Prevention Day residents are being encouraged to download an innovative app that could help to save the life of someone in suicidal crisis.

Across the UK around 6,000 people die by suicide each year. Every suicide has a huge impact on the people affected by it, with enormous emotional and social implications.

This year’s theme for World Suicide Prevention Day was ‘Working Together’, an apt reminder that by asking someone if they need help you could save a life.

The free Stay Alive app, which was developed by charity Grassroots, is a pocket-sized suicide prevention resource which gives people the tools to do just this.

The app is designed to help both those who are having suicidal thoughts and those who are concerned about someone else who may be considering suicide.

As part of the Cheshire & Merseyside wide NO MORE Suicide strategy, a localised version of the app has been developed with appropriate signposting to organisations within the nine local authorities across the sub-region.

The app has several key features including:

Finding help from local crisis services in the Cheshire and Merseyside area.

Quick access to UK national crisis support helplines.

A safety plan that can be filled out and used if a person is in a crisis and needs to keep safe.

A LifeBox to which the user can upload photos from their phone reminding them of their reasons to stay alive.

Strategies for staying safe from suicide.

How to help a person who is thinking about suicide. Suicide myth-busting. Research-based reasons for living.

Suicide bereavement resources.

The Stay Alive app is free and available to download for iOS and Android devices.

Halton Borough Council’s executive board member for health and wellbeing, Cllr Marie Wright, said of the app: “Our aim as part of the NO MORE Suicide strategy is to reduce the numbers of suicides by having the help and support in place when people most need it

“The Stay Alive app will be a key resource in this vision, and I believe that it really could help to save lives from suicide.

“I would urge everyone to download the app so that in the unfortunate circumstance that you encounter someone who needs help, the app is ready and waiting to assist you.”