talking about suicide

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Stigma and taboo surrounds the issue of suicide.  There are many fears - fear of copycat suicides, fear of putting the idea of suicide into someone's head, fear of pushing someone who may have been contemplating suicide over the edge, fear of saying the wrong thing and fear of offending people who are left behind.  Theses fears contribute to the lack of dialogue about suicide that exists in the community and in the media. 

In fact, for the most part, suicides are not reported in the Australian media.  Harmful reporting has been shown to have an impact on suicide occurrences - with an upward trend.  

So why dont we talk about it? - As mentioned there are the fears. When you have lost someone to a suicide you want to talk about about , dont you?

I found that i needed to talk about my sons suicide because i need to remember both my  sons. Talk to your family, friends about their milestones, anniversaries. Talk to family about the loss.    It is ok that you are  sad and you are are grieving, But it is a normal process.  So talk about suicide because we talk about heart disease's , diabetes and cancers so  dont be ashamed that your loved one died from a suicide. Breaking barriers and the stigma of suicide is a step to healing. 

Those who have lost loved ones to a motor vehicle accident speak about drunk driving, or speeding, or young people's driver training- or whatever it is that has been  implicated in the death of their loved one. There is no shame in their experience, only acknowledgment of the waste and the grief.  There is public discussion about how to reduce the road toll, what sort of community and targeted education may be helpful.  There are signs on the road to remind us we are entering an accident  'blackspot' and much effort is contributed by governments, advocacy groups and communities towards enacting policies, establishing safeguards and implementing processes to try and reduce injury or death. This type of dynamic conversation is missing in relation to suicide.