Preventing Suicide in Sussex

About

'Warning Signs' is a suicide prevention campaign targeting East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove, specifically aiming to support the reduction of annual suicide amongst men in Sussex. It has been developed by Sussex Health and Care Partnership.

If you are looking for more information about the campaign please contact SuicidePrevention@westsussex.gov.uk

There are two target audiences for the campaign:

  1. Men at risk of suicide:
    • Local adult males at or near crisis point
    • With an emphasis on middle-aged routine and manual workers
  2. Close relatives, friends and colleagues

The aims of the campaign are:

  • To increase awareness amongst men (and their influencers) of where they can access help if they are finding it difficult to cope with their stress/depression
  • To improve recognition of suicide risk and how to help among the influencers in men’s lives
  • Consequently, to help contribute towards reducing the stigma associated with help-seeking in men.

More specifically, we want men who are at risk to:

  • Recognise that there is hope, and that suicide is not their only option.
  • Know that support is available
  • Understand that there should be no shame or stigma attached to needing or seeking help
  • Seek help – access the website and/or call the helpline

And we want those who are around them to:

  • To be aware of the ‘warning signs’ that someone may be at risk of suicide
  • To know that there is support available locally and to direct people in their network to this support as required
  • Alternatively, to access the website and/or helpline on behalf of the person they are concerned about
  • To understand that asking someone they are concerned about whether they are considering suicide will help them, rather than triggering them/putting the idea in their head.

The main messages we want to get across to the two campaign audiences are:

For Men at risk:

  • If you have suicidal thoughts, seek help
  • Sharing your thoughts is important and can help
  • Other men who have had suicidal thoughts have found and accepted help which has made a difference

For those around men at risk:

  • Be alert to the mental wellbeing of others – friends, relatives and colleagues.
  • Specifically, be aware of the potential warning signs that someone may be struggling/at risk of suicide
  • There are places you can direct men you are worried about to for them to get the help they need

You can also get help yourself on how to support men/people who are at risk