Would-be suicides tell of their fight to overcome

FORMERLY suicidal people have spoken out on how they pulled themselves from the brink.

They were speaking on the World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) yesterday, observed annually on September 10.

A medical student at Stellenbosch University, Samantha Stander, 26, said dealing with depression had made her question her self-worth.

“I was diagnosed with depression in 2015 after my academics suffered and my then-boyfriend cheated on me. That time for me felt like being smothered by death.

“I would start writing letters to my family and friends, and pleading with God to give me hope,” she said.

Stander said she was about to pull the trigger on herself when she received a call from a friend. “She was like an answered prayer,” she said.

She added that she has had other “suicidal ideologies” where she thought of taking her own life but this one was her biggest.

Stander was on the verge of graduating from medical school. She also has a strong support system.

A law student from the University of the Free State, Tshepang Mahlatsi, 24, said he managed to overcome his struggles through campus counselling.

He said he turned his personal struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) into a movement that advocated for mental health.

“I was diagnosed with PTSD during the #FeesMustFall protests.

“I tried to take my own life twice. I then figured I needed help. That is when I started consulting with a psychologist.

“The support I received from the psychologist, friends and family was truly beneficial.

“It was the best decision I have ever made in my life,” added Mahlatsi.

Mahlatsi founded Next Chapter, an organisation that aims to address mental health issues among students as a way to create awareness around the topic.

SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) operations director Cassey Chambers said the suicide topic was still taboo in our society.

“No one wants to talk about. No one knows how to talk about it and parents don’t want to talk to their children about it, in case it plants ideas,” she said.

Chambers emphasised that early warning signs included being aware of what is happening in people’s personal life and aware of their feelings.

According to Sadag, they received about 145 000 calls to the 22 lines at the helpline call centre, and of those calls, more than 41 800 calls have been to the suicide helpline alone with people seeking crisis intervention and urgent help.

The World Health Organisation has said that every 40 seconds, someone, somewhere in the world, dies by suicide. Call Sadag’s suicide helpline on 0800 567 567.