World Suicide Prevention Day at Pride Park 13th September 2019

[angieram]

 

We are once again visiting Pride Park on our World Suicide Prevention Day road tour – this year visiting football matches at Belper Town, Alfreton, Derby County, Chesterfield, Matlock Town and Sheffield FC.

We will be at the Derby County v Cardiff City game on Friday 13th September and would love to see you there. As usual, we have received great support from both Derby County Community Trust and the club in promoting awareness of suicide prevention; look out for content from them across their media channels during the week and at the match.

Our team of volunteers will be outside the Club shop from 6 p.m. where we will be giving out information, asking fans to complete our survey and having a chat with anyone who wants to talk.

For fans not able to make the game, you can still complete our survey that aims to capture attitudes and experience of suicide. The link to the survey is here: https://tinyurl.com/DERBYWSPD19  . All the information given is used to inform our work that supports people affected by suicide and to help raise awareness further.

Many thanks and COYR!

[SaintRam]

Completed the survey. You a volunteer, angie? If so, good luck on the days.

[Leeds Ram]

I've done the survey. I hope it goes well as it's obviously an important cause. 

[angieram]

7 minutes ago, SaintRam said:

Completed the survey. You a volunteer, angie? If so, good luck on the days.

Yes, I'm at Alfreton tomorrow and Pride Park next Friday. Thanks.

[Pearl Ram]

Don’t know if you remember me explaining my experience to you Angie but I’ve completed the survey, thank you for doing what you do and hope the tour goes well. ?

[Smyth_18]

The tough question for me is asking if i have ever considered suicide.

I've felt worthless & whether i really wanted to be alive on many occasions, but never to a point that i think i may go through with it.

The worrying thing is, how quickly can that change? 

Must stress that i wouldn't say i am depressed, just highly anxious.

[Alph]

44 minutes ago, Smyth_18 said:

The tough question for me is asking if i have ever considered suicide.

I've felt worthless & whether i really wanted to be alive on many occasions, but never to a point that i think i may go through with it.

The worrying thing is, how quickly can that change? 

Must stress that i wouldn't say i am depressed, just highly anxious.

Then I'd say yes, you have considered suicide. 

If you've sat there and said "is it really worth carrying on?" and decided that yes it is, then you're not ok. 

I'd say one of depressions favourite tricks is to make you put on a brave face. In depression where you're in a constant battle with yourself then there can be a part of you that puts on a brave face to yourself. You put yourself under more pressure to get on with it. Then that's when depression can really get to work and torment you. As you try to be the person you want to be but ultimately are crap at it and so are a further disappointment. 

If half of you is asking the other half about suicide then don't applaud the side that says "I'll be alright." You need to be concerned about where the question is coming from. That needs addressing. Because left unchecked then the answer could become "Yeah, I need to get out"

I'm not a professional so @angieram might tell me off for giving poo advice. But I'm still here and my head isn't always working very well. So if my choices work for me then they might help someone else out.

[Leeds Ram]

46 minutes ago, Smyth_18 said:

The tough question for me is asking if i have ever considered suicide.

I've felt worthless & whether i really wanted to be alive on many occasions, but never to a point that i think i may go through with it.

The worrying thing is, how quickly can that change? 

Must stress that i wouldn't say i am depressed, just highly anxious.

I would echo Alpha's points and day that yes you have considered suicide. If you feel that you're worthless and wondered about wanting to be alive i would classify that as contemplating suicide. I would also echo Alpha's thoughts about seeing or talking to someone about this as left unchecked it could creep up and get even worse. 

I know from my experience with some pretty awful episodes of depression and anxiety it's always better to try and talk to someone sooner rather than later. From my own experience i was struggling for a couple of years before i finally snapped and ended up in hospital. In the end i did get the help i needed and saw someone every week (sometimes twice) even 2 years after my initial difficulties emerged and it did help to keep me on track. 

Like Alpha I'm not a professional either so my advice may also be rubbish. 

[Ambitious]

I've done the survey. I always feel very moved by those who really go out of their way and spread awareness and create a support network for those that really need it. You're a star @angieram.

[angieram]

@Smyth_18, I was going to message you but as @Alpha and @Leeds Ram have already responded on here I will just say there's no right or wrong answer. Everyone is different and the best thing you or anyone can do is recognise those feelings and do something about it. 

Alpha is right that talking helps - it doesn't have to be a 'professional' you can find good listeners everywhere. 

We hand out little leaflets (z-cards) at the ground with signposts to Samaritans and local services but a good friend or relative can be just as effective. 

As can following the "5 Ways to Wellbeing" and making sure you have your own ways of coping when things start to get you down. Little things like exercise, diet, breathing exercises and fresh air make a big difference.  

I also have extreme anxiety and when I went on a resilience training course last year (sounds a bit new age but it was really helpful!) one of the things I brought away from it was a simple statement the you can't always change the things that are making you anxious but you can change the way you react to them. I found that really helpful.

PS The best advice is often from other people who have been through similar experiences.  

[angieram]

18 minutes ago, Ambitious said:

I've done the survey. I always feel very moved by those who really go out of their way and spread awareness and create a support network for those that really need it. You're a star @angieram.

It's not me - we have 50 volunteers next week at Pride Park - from all different backgrounds. They are brilliant.  

[Smyth_18]

On 06/09/2019 at 17:22, angieram said:

@Smyth_18, I was going to message you but as @Alpha and @Leeds Ram have already responded on here I will just say there's no right or wrong answer. Everyone is different and the best thing you or anyone can do is recognise those feelings and do something about it. 

Alpha is right that talking helps - it doesn't have to be a 'professional' you can find good listeners everywhere. 

We hand out little leaflets (z-cards) at the ground with signposts to Samaritans and local services but a good friend or relative can be just as effective. 

As can following the "5 Ways to Wellbeing" and making sure you have your own ways of coping when things start to get you down. Little things like exercise, diet, breathing exercises and fresh air make a big difference.  

I also have extreme anxiety and when I went on a resilience training course last year (sounds a bit new age but it was really helpful!) one of the things I brought away from it was a simple statement the you can't always change the things that are making you anxious but you can change the way you react to them. I found that really helpful.

PS The best advice is often from other people who have been through similar experiences.  

Thanks. The majority of the time I'm very happy, like now. When I'm on a high I feel unstoppable and now I know when I feel at my lowest that it won't last. The constant cycle can be a bit tiring. It's like 2 steps forward, 2 steps back every month. I will work my way through though! Constant research will make me a master.

 

[DarkFruitsRam7]

On 06/09/2019 at 17:22, angieram said:

I also have extreme anxiety and when I went on a resilience training course last year (sounds a bit new age but it was really helpful!) one of the things I brought away from it was a simple statement the you can't always change the things that are making you anxious but you can change the way you react to them. I found that really helpful.

That idea pretty much sums up the Ancient Greek philosophy of Stoicism. I've never consciously followed it, but I've realised in the last year or so that it's how I live my life. I've personally found that, as long as I know within myself that I'm trying to be a good person and that I'm working hard to achieve my goals, outside factors don't affect my general level of happiness. Obviously, uncontrollable factors have wormed their way in on occasion, particularly as a result of losing some rationality whilst having a drink, but, day-to-day, I'm very content with life.

I do also realise that I'm extremely fortunate never to have suffered with any mental health issues, and that having such issues would make this outlook far less effective. That's because mental health issues are generally caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, right? 

[Comrade 86]

Survey completed @angieram 

Thank you Angie x

[RadioactiveWaste]

Just to chip in, I've had some dark moments, and long standing issues with depression. You can get through, the hardest part is often just letting someone know you're not OK.

There is always hope.

and things do get better.

my grandad used to say "where winter is, spring is sure to follow."

[angieram]

12 hours ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said:

That idea pretty much sums up the Ancient Greek philosophy of Stoicism. I've never consciously followed it, but I've realised in the last year or so that it's how I live my life. I've personally found that, as long as I know within myself that I'm trying to be a good person and that I'm working hard to achieve my goals, outside factors don't affect my general level of happiness. Obviously, uncontrollable factors have wormed their way in on occasion, particularly as a result of losing some rationality whilst having a drink, but, day-to-day, I'm very content with life.

I do also realise that I'm extremely fortunate never to have suffered with any mental health issues, and that having such issues would make this outlook far less effective. That's because mental health issues are generally caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, right? 

Thanks for your comments and I have never heard of stoicism but yes, I suppose that sums up how I cope with things, too. 

I probably used that to get me through after my parents died when I was a teenager.  No counselling or even much sympathy offered in those days so I just had to get on with life. Did I suffer later for it? You bet I did.

I am pleased you mentioned about the chemical imbalance as one or two people mentioned that as the definitive source of mental ill-health in other threads and it is far too simplistic a view in reality. Even if technically true, just takings prescribed drugs to 'correct' the imbalance without addressing the root cause of the problems isn't really helpful.

Here’s a quote from one section of the Mind website (the page on depression )

Is depression caused by a chemical imbalance?

The human brain is extremely complicated. Because antidepressants work by changing brain chemistry, some people have assumed that depression is caused by changes in brain chemistry which are then ‘corrected’ by the drugs. Some doctors may tell you that you have a ‘chemical imbalance’ and need medication to correct it.

But the evidence for this is very weak, and if changes to brain chemistry occur, we don’t know whether these are the result of the depression or its cause.

If you check out their website there is much more info on there. 

I am sorry to go into so much detail as I didn't mean this thread to be anything other than an alert to the fact that we will be at the match next Friday. There's a brilliant thread over in De Kroeg that does the job much better than I ever could and I would encourage folks to keep discussing their feelings and offering each other support there.

But I just want to say how heartened I am by the level of interest and insight on here. I think that generally we are coming a long way from the old "man up" attitude of the past and it is great to see. 

[MackworthRamIsGod]

It just shows you never know how someone is feeling, you dont truly know someone or what they are going through, especially on an internet forum.  Football can be a release, posting on here can help someone feel part of something. Even if someones opinions are negative, this could be a reflection of their personal life.

This is why I never attack anyone on here regardless of a posters views or opinions, sometimes it can really be something so small that acts as the straw that breaks the camals back, so just think before you post.

Debate is perfectly fine, but sometimes there is a fine line between banter and being hurtful.

[Coneheadjohn]

Great cause,hopefully see you their Angie.

Myself and @Mrs Cone

Given my lot an extra big squeeze this morning.

[angieram]

Exclusive!

As it is World Suicide Prevention Day today, I thought I'd give you a sneak preview of this year's z-card for the Derby County match.

We haven't got them back from the printer's yet, so I'm biting my nails at the moment!

 

[angieram]