Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Kelly proof of hope after suicide bid
AN Angus woman who attempted suicide has turned her life around to help those at crisis point.
Kelly Christie suffered lifechanging injuries in a car crash in 2006 that left her with a fractured skull and damage to her frontal lobe.
Three years into a difficult recovery, Kelly, from Montrose, lost hope of a return to normal life and attempted to take her own life.
Following the attempt, Kelly, now 40, managed to rebuild her life and launched a successful beauty business, working at both London and Paris fashion weeks.
Kelly now volunteers on the Tayside Suicide Prevention Training Group, which will be expanded in the new year after a successful launch.
The course is a collaboration between Angus Health & Social Care Partnership, NHS Tayside and Angus Council.
Kelly took the training to help others and now helps new recruits on the course.
Kelly said: “I had a brain injury and three years into my recovery I decided that I’d had enough and I wanted to take an overdose. I did that but by the time I was in the ambulance I was crying that I didn’t want to die. By the time I got to the hospital I was trying to bring them back up.
“It just shows you that people in that moment of crisis think that’s your only option and then a few hours later you could be completely different.”
Kelly added: “My life was defined by medical professionals as having no hope since I had a brain injury and I was just told to get used to it. They said I’d never work again or retrain or be able to hold any new memories or look after myself.
“But I ended up retraining as a beautician and opening my own salon and won lots of awards.
“With the right help and support, you absolutely can change your life but it’s still sad that we have to do this with the current suicide rates.”
Now the free suicide intervention and prevention courses will be rolled out across Tayside. The courses train locals to look out for signs of suicidal behaviour and equip them with the skills to help those struggling.
The Tayside Suicide Prevention Training Group has recently trained 14 more volunteers who work across Tayside and Kinross.
People are taught to prevent suicidal situations by recognising behavioural changes and helping others develop coping techniques and create a safety plan for periods of poor mental health.
Kelly said: “Not many people know how to speak about suicide or how to approach the situation. My brother was walking across the Tay Road Bridge one day and saw someone and he had no idea what to do or who to phone.”
The app Suicide? Help! is also recommended during the class as a way of dealing with triggers and preparing for low moods.
Kelly added: “They do one class a month and it’s usually based at Stracathro but we’ve got three dates to go into the new Playhouse in Montrose.”
The Montrose dates are January 20, February 24 and March 24.
People can book spaces on the course and find out about nearby offerings by emailing james. kennedy@nhs.scot