On Suicide Prevention Day Wheelchair-bound Former British Soldier Lifts the Lid

Disabled Adventurer and suicide prevention campaigner, Nick Wilson, has been raising his concerns about the lack of representation for survivors of suicide and how little information is gathered about the issue of attempted suicide or is discussed within the wider suicide prevention conversation.
According to a King’s College report in 2019, an estimated 140,000 suicide attempts are made each year, though those involved with suicide prevention think it to be more like 200k, with not every attempt survived being reported or resulting in hospitalization. This only highlights part of the problem, with there being a limited amount of data for specific statistics and facts, to be stated with confidence.

“There’s a lot of assumptions made with each completed suicide and tragically the individual can’t tell their story or provide details around what and why. Survivors of Suicide have a wealth of information for example, were there any barriers to accessing support, what worked well, what didn’t, the time is took to treat, have they attempted before and the support they wanted but didn’t get, etc”

It isn’t solely learning about their journey through help and support, to improve access and services offered. Like we are seeing more bereaved family members speaking out, which gives strength to families in similar positions, we need the stories of survivors to also be shared, so individuals struggling can see there is hope and have role models to inspire and empower them.

“I’ve been trying to get heard by telling my story for 5 years now, during which time I also ran a men’s peer support group and have seen first-hand people being failed and ignored, whilst losing good friends to suicide after not getting help. For every 1 death by suicide, there’s an estimated 40 attempts, and surviving doesn’t suddenly become a good news story, it’s a long long road and you’re not guaranteed to receive the support you need. But. Through sharing people’s stories and with greater representation for survivors of attempted suicide, we can not only spread a message of hope but actually show individuals the courageous warriors who’ve survived and how it is possible”.

Guidance from the government to the media on such matters is outdated and paints a very bleak picture which puts broadcasters and journalists off from engaging with survivors or reporting on attempted suicide. A part of the guidance suggests speaking about attempted suicide could prove detrimental and triggering to some, a point which has been categorically proven to not be the case and isn’t the recommendation of charities such as Samaritans and Grassroots Suicide Prevention. In fact, the research shows that talking about it in a safe and positive manner can actually inspire and empower people struggling.

Nick has been speaking out about his own lived experiences with surviving a suicide attempt, managing suicidal ideation, and the issues faced by individuals when seeking help and support. He has also just launched his new podcast, Lived Experience Chats, which sees him being filmed speaking to guests about their experiences with disability, mental health, and suicide, to share their stories and give a voice to people who don’t feel they are being heard or seen. With national Suicide Awareness day yesterday highlighting everything – now is the perfect time to report on this massive topic.