Watching for little signs could help to save someone’s life

Watching for signs of people you know behaving differently could help save their life, Fifers are being told.

New figures show 43 people in the kingdom took their own life last year.

NHS Fife is hosting Suicide Prevention Week, part of a wider public awareness campaign running throughout September.

Urging people to play their part, Jo-Anne Valentine, Choose Life coordinator in the county, said the emotional impact on families, friends and communities bereaved by suicide can be devastating.

“If someone you are close to shows signs of not being themselves, you will normally notice,” she said.

“When changes in their behaviour begin to worry you, even if the signs come and go, the most important aspect is to ask them about it.

“Talking openly about their feelings can help a person get clarity about what is troubling them.

“Starting this conversation helps them gain a perspective on their distress.

“You don’t need to have a solution to their problems.

“Being there for them and listening, without judgment, shows you care and their distress and ultimately, their happiness, is important to you.”

The campaign acknowledges signs of potential suicide can be difficult to spot but encourages people to take all signs of distress seriously, even if it seems a person is living a normal life.

It also aims to assure people that asking a person about what is troubling them can make a positive difference.

The campaign targets men and women who are likely to be in greatest contact with people most at risk of suicide, men between the ages of 40-49, since statistics show around three-quarters of suicides have been men in every year since 1990.

Dorothy Woolley, Choose Life development officer, said: “By taking a minute to show you care you could change their life.”