‘A caller wants to die… until he talks about his cat’: Suicide prevention helpline HOPELineUK works to prevent hundreds of suicides every day
The anonymous service — set up by the charity PAPYRUS in 2005 — helps young people at risk of suicide in the UK
SUICIDE prevention helpline HOPELineUK receives hundreds of texts, calls and emails every day.
The volume of calls from vulnerable young people considering taking their own lives has quadrupled since 2012 and provides support to thousands of young people every year.
The anonymous service — set up by the charity PAPYRUS in 2005 — helps young people at risk of suicide in the UK, including some who have already taken steps to end their lives when they pick up the phone.
Professional suicide prevention advisers offer support, information, patience and safety plans which help vulnerable youngsters stay safe.
Ahead of Saturday’s World Suicide Prevention Day, CLARE O’REILLY spent 12 hours in the office with charity advisers Ruth, Pat and Michael. Together, they have 40 years’ combined experience of working in mental health.
All names and ages have been changed to preserve anonymity.
The timeline below is a flavour of the 248 calls, texts and emails the helpline received in just one shift . . .
11.09: A male caller says he has seen the PAPYRUS posters on the London Underground. He talks about feeling suicidal although does not feel at immediate risk of taking his own life. Having been the victim of domestic violence and abuse in the past, he’s struggling with job stress and is talking about “giving up”.
The call lasts 35 minutes. He talks about travelling and worries about who would care for his dog if anything happened to him.
11.51: Bullies at school are telling the next female caller to take her own life. She’s upset and agitated and feels anxious about talking to her parents or GP. After talking through the issues, she says she’s not in immediate danger and will try to talk to her parents and seek support from her GP or the charity if she feels it necessary.
13.49: A mother calls about her son who is struggling at university and has told her he may as well not be alive. She is worried he might be suicidal.
The adviser talks to her for half an hour about asking her son directly about suicide and discusses what other support he may need, including talking to his GP and giving him the HOPELineUK details. Afterwards, the mum says she is more confident about speaking to her son.
14.02: A regular caller checks in having been admitted to hospital last night with ongoing health issues. A friend persuaded him to go to A&E and while he has a community psychiatric nurse, he was discharged early in the morning, leaving him feeling suicidal, anxious and traumatised.
His mental health team hasn’t returned his call. He’s been reaching out through the channels and has tried to get more support but hasn’t been given any. He’s praised highly for having kept himself safe through a very traumatic 24 hours.
His sense of responsibility for his cat is identified as a turning point for him and having got home to take care of the cat, he says he’s planning to shower and go into his local town centre library as a coping strategy, where he’ll be surrounded by people but have peace and quiet too.
17.08: A text disclosing a suicide attempt comes through from a young woman. She has already taken steps to end her own life and can’t access medical attention. As her life is in danger, the adviser calls 999 and informs the texter she has done this.
18.32: With the suicide prevention advisers on calls, a voicemail is left by a young man. He calls back eight minutes later and starts apologising for calling the helpline.
He’s made plans to take his own life today and despite calling his mental health team and telling them he’s suicidal, he’s still waiting for his case worker to call back.
After 42 minutes on the phone with the helpline suicide prevention adviser, he’s much calmer and says he won’t take his own life today.
18.53: A young transitioning transgender person calls, admitting she’s feeling suicidal today. She spends 23 minutes talking through her issues with a suicide prevention adviser who works with her on a plan to stay safe over the coming hours and signposts her to support networks she may find helpful.
19.38: A text comes in from a young father who says he’s feeling suicidal. He suffered domestic abuse as a child and, as a result of alcohol and drug addiction, has lost contact rights with his own children. He says he has his suicide method in front of him and is intending to end his life.
He’s given lots of positive feedback for getting in touch and after a text conversation lasting two hours, he agrees to dispose of the method and intends to go immediately to A&E for help.
21.45: A repeat caller phones saying she feels suicidal. She tried speaking to her parents but feels they didn’t understand. She mentions a privileged upbringing with successful parents and a nice house, which makes her feel guilty for having suicidal thoughts.
The suicide prevention adviser spends 20 minutes talking to her about her past and future and it transpires huge academic success is expected of her when she’d rather follow an alternative life path.
She says she no longer feels suicidal and is encouraged to get pastoral care at her college or speak to her GP.
If you or a young person you know is at risk of suicide the PAPYRUS HOPELineUK is available from 10am – 10pm every day on 0800 068 4141.
Text 07786 209697 or email [email protected].
New movie keen to get men talking
A NEW short film aims to get blokes talking about depression and mental health.
Titled Suicide Notes Talk Too Late, the film has been produced by the Movember Foundation.
It shows men sharing their personal experiences of suicide and mental illness to encourage others to get the help and care they need.
Of the 6,122 suicides in the UK in 2014, 4,630 were male.
Suicide is the biggest killer of British men under the age of 50.
Justin Geange, who appears in the film, tried to take his life in 2012 after being made redundant. He was 41 at the time.
He says: “I reached a point where I believed I was a complete failure and thought my family would be better off without me.
“Looking back, it was like sitting in the front row of the movies. I just couldn’t see the bigger picture.”
After getting the care he needed, Justin wants to stop other men reaching the same stage.
He says: “There are a lot of blokes out there being tough, but the tragedy is we don’t talk about the things that really matter.
“You don’t have to be a psychologist or trained. All you have to do is be a mate and show you care. It does get better.”
Owen Sharp, chief executive of the Movember Foundation, says: “We wanted to create a powerful piece of content that would ignite important conversations about suicide, the complex issues that surround it and what everyone can do to address it.
It’s time to break this silence and recognise that the key to overcoming even the biggest problems is for men to talk more
Owen Sharp
“These are conversations we hope will save lives.
“It’s time to break this silence and recognise that the key to overcoming even the biggest problems is for men to talk more.
“Not about trivial stuff but about the significant changes and challenges going on in their lives – things like difficulties with work or finances, the breakdown of a relationship, overwhelming family responsibilities or a significant setback.
“These things happen regularly and for some have the potential to derail or be more overwhelming than they’d imagined.”
Ruth Sutherland, co-chair of the National Suicide Prevention Alliance, says: “This film shows that men can overcome challenges and come back from the brink.
“This Suicide Prevention Day, if you find yourself struggling to cope or your problems seem too big to deal with, we encourage you to talk to someone. It really works.”
For more information, check out
For help with mental health call the on 116 123