Posted on Thu 10 Sep 2015 at 16:38 by
Matthew Humberstone
World Suicide Prevention Day
Today is World Suicide Prevention Day and therefore a great day to share the positive news below! This year's theme is reaching out and saving lives - encouraging people to reach out and ask someone if they're OK can be so important and sometimes a little thing like a hug can make a huge difference!
As you may know, Mental Health is one of my main priorities this year and one of my Personal Goals. Mental Health support was something I became particularly passionate about in the first few months of 2015, following the suicides of two of my friends due to mental health issues, one a student at another university and the other a fellow volunteer in Bath. Knowing that there was room for improvement in the support offered here, it became my main reason for running in the SU Officer elections and now I fortunately have the opportunity to make a real difference!
Suicide is the most common cause of death in men under the age of 35 so it is really important to do our best to prevent it. Whether connecting with those you've lost touch with, reaching out to someone new or inviting a friend round for a meal or film, there are lots of things we can do to make others feel valued.
New Counselling and Mental Health Form!
Of all the things I wanted to change this year, the counselling and mental health form was the top of my list.
Some of my friends have told me that they needed the help of a friend to fill in the old inaccessible form because they found it too distressing to fill in themselves. Being faced with over 30 questions, many of which needed lengthy answers and seemed irrelevant, meant that others had to just give up on completing it all together and that's really concerning.
It’s scary to think how many students might have needed support but were unable to access it, especially as those who would have struggled the most to complete the form were probably those with the most serious issues.
Fortunately those days are over. The new form, which I’ve been involved in improving, limits the questions to only those that are essential and can be completed in a few minutes instead of around 20. Whilst there are still a few more adjustments to be made in the next few weeks, It looks a lot more welcoming and also signposts to other support services and self-help resources.
This is a really significant step in the mental health support available to students and hopefully one of many I’ll be involved in throughout the year.
Counselling and Mental Health Service
If there's something troubling you, you can get support from many different places including:
The Advice and Representation Centre (ARC) on Level 3 of the Students' Union - suadvice@bath.ac.uk, 01225 386906
Nightline - number on the back of your library card, available during term time
Samaritans - 08457 909090