Suicide: Reducing the Stigma Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department of Health and Social Care
Steve Darling
Main Page: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)Department Debates - View all Steve Darling's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
Suicide: Reducing the Stigma
Steve Darling Excerpts(1 day, 11 hours ago)
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Steve Darling (Torbay) (LD)
On 30 September, I had the privilege of participating in the Baton of Hope relay across Torbay, which is an initiative that propagates conversations around suicide. The impact that it had across our communities in Torbay was amazing. Does my hon. Friend agree that the more conversations we have about suicide, the more we will prevent it?
Sarah Olney
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that encouraging example of how taking steps to reduce the stigma around suicide can have a positive impact, and how we need a community approach to help reach out to all those people who might be struggling.
Although talking about mental health is becoming more socially acceptable, to what extent are we asking the challenging questions? To what extent do we really want to know how other people are getting on, and to what extent do people who are suffering feel comfortable in talking honestly about how serious their struggles are? For those reasons, I want to echo my constituent Philip Pirie’s calls for the Government to launch a public health campaign to truly tackle the stigma associated with suicide.
As we have seen today, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has launched his men’s health strategy. He promised the Samaritans that
“mental health and suicide prevention”
would be at the “heart of it”. Everyone in the House will welcome these words and the recognition that the men’s mental health crisis needs serious attention. I would like the Secretary of State to go one step further and consider a public health campaign with posters and adverts on TV and radio, and to hold regular open discussions with the public on the topic of suicide.