Suicide of sister prompts family to launch mental health campaign
THE SISTERS of a Leeds woman who committed suicide four years ago have launched a campaign to raise awareness of mental health issues and encourage young people to be kind to one another.
Inside Out Day will take place at the beginning of next month during Children’s Mental Health Week in memory of Jenny Jackson. Immanuel, JFS, Clore Shalom and Sinai will be among Jewish schools taking part.
On the day, children and adults will wear an item of clothing inside out as a way of “making us all stop and think about how someone may look OK on the outside but inside they may be feeling sad or worried”.
Jo Novick, Janie Jackson-Spillman and Julie Borlant wanted to honour their sister, who was 40 when she took her life.
Ms Novick, who lives in Radlett, said Jenny — an active member of the Leeds community — was diagnosed as bipolar in her 20s.
On the outside “she was beautiful. She was going out and looking great. People had no idea what was going on for her.”
Her death came “out of the blue” for her friends and family and Ms Novick and her sisters “had to deal with it and live with it”.
She added that “over the years, I have (second right) with sisters Jo Novick, Janie JacksonSpillman and Julie Borlant always wanted to do something that raised awareness. I think it is important for young people, especially as they live with the pressure of social media and everyone showing off the best parts of their lives.
“I wanted to do something that encourages them to think of others and be kind to each other in the knowledge that they don’t always know what is going on inside.”
Although the initiative is more about raising awareness than money, Ms Novick said that those taking part can make a donation to If U Care Share, a charity that supports emotional wellbeing among young people and which helped to inspire the idea.