SUICIDE OFTEN AFFECTS THE UNLIKELIEST OF PEOPLE

There has been much speculation about why Kate Spade killed herself, but the sad truth is that nobody can ever really know what causes someone to feel so desperate that they decide to take their own life. That is the very nature of the problem: in many cases, suicide occurs because someone is too scared to talk about suicide. But talk about suicide we must, because it happens – and often, it happens to the unlikeliest of people. The popular social butterfly. The seemingly content father. The comedian. The talented fashion designer.

There is huge stigma attached to mental illness, but the very, very last taboo is suicidal thoughts. Many simply can’t believe they are having them. Others note that suicidal tendencies are not so much about ending your life, but your pain. Most people will never report them, because of the shame attached, and the fear that they will be sectioned. People who do not understand suicide say that it is selfish. But if it is a selfish act then it is one born out of self-loathing – a hatred so strong that your head has actually managed to convince you that the world would be better off without you. It is hard for some people to comprehend that not everyone’s brain always wants the best for them.

Suicide is preventable, but only if we stop treating suicidal thoughts as a character defect, or a sign of weakness. They are simply a sign of illness. There is a concerted effort by the families of people who have died by suicide to stop using the term “committed”, because suicide has not been a crime since the Sixties. If you are reading this and experiencing despair, please know that there are many, many other people out there who have felt this too; that things can and will get better, but let someone know. For help, try CALM, Clasp, Papyrus or the Samaritans