By Charlotte Webster-
British commuters should take part in a suicide prevention campaign on the railways which could help save many lives.
The Samaritans, British Transport Police (BTP) and the Network Rail have combined to launch the Small Talk Saves Lives campaign, encouraging travelers to look out for those potentially at risk of suicide around train tracks.
SUICIDE PREVENTION POSTER
Thousands of depressed people commit suicide in the Uk every year because of depression, mental illness, or sometimes a very tragic loss in their family which they struggle to come to terms with. Suicide victims usually feel isolated and alienated, concluding that they have had enough of life.
Signs to look out for , according to campaigners, include a passenger standing alone or looking isolated, staying on a platform for a long time without boarding a train, or displaying boarding a train or displaying unusual behavior.
CEO of the Samaritans, Ruth Sutherland said:
“Suicide is everybody’s business and any one of us could have an opportunity to save a life”.
”Research for this campaign showed 73 per cent of the public would expect somebody to approach their loved one if they were upset in a public place.
“We have worked carefully with the public, rail travellers and those bereaved by suicide to ensure that this campaign is delivered sensitively but with real impact.
“The knowledge and skills to save lives in the rail environment can be applied to many other situations. We hope that Small Talk Saves Lives is the start of a much wider conversation about how suicide is preventable.”
On Monday, wide sections of the Central line were cancelled because of a person under a train. Suicide is a serious problem in many socieites that is poorly understood by those who have never suffered from suicidal feelings, or who have had a family member who has suffered from it or lost their lives from it. Suicidal tendencies can be sparked from a range of circumstances over many years, including childhood. The psychological scars from bullying in school, added to rejection in later life can trigger suicidal feelings. Rejection can be a broad experience for many people, and cannot be restricted to just relationships. It can include rejection in getting jobs, and can be extended to sexual abuse from past sexual partners, strangers, family members, and in many extreme cases, all of the above.
UNFORTUNATE
Some people have been so unfortunate in life to have almost every bad experience happen to them throughout their life, and need psychological and moral help. There is never any justification for committing suicide, but suicide doesn’t need justification, all it needs is prevention. People who threaten suicide should be taken seriously, whilst noting that there are idiots who undermine the seriousness of suicide by using is as a weapon against those who care most about them. The Samaritans and the British Transport Police campaign to get commuters to talk to potential suicide victims is an important initiative that the eye of media.com fully supports. British culture has historically been one that has conditioned many commuters to be distant from one another, except on a weekend evening when many intoxicated people are refreshingly chatty and engaging on the rains back home. Friendly engagement can lighten up ones heart and dictate the rest of their day.
Keeping a watchful eye for potential suicide victims who fit the typical criteria may save lives and also reduce train delays caused every time someone jumps under a tarin and kills themselves. There will be the tendency of being weary of talking to a stranger in case they are dangerous. This is a valid concern, as I may feel slightly uneasy approaching a strange man I see on the platform who may be just about to take his own life. Yet, even if women approach women or girls they suspect look uneasy, or men approach men, it could make a massive difference. An alternative approach can be for a woman to urge a safe looking man to accompany them in approaching the suspect. What we must remember is that before a human being decides to jump in front of a train and have their body crushed and dismembered, they would have lost all faith in life and humanity. If someone were to sacrifice ten minutes of their time and try to help them, it would be a priceless step of human love worth doing.