[mental health and suicide] There's a lot about suicide awareness going around right now, and if you're going to share the Samaritans numbers, please know that the Samaritans are NOT there to talk people down in a crisis.

They can be great to chat to prior to getting to that point, but you should be advising contacting a GP or a crisis team if someone is suicidal.
Samaritans will have a chat but have a policy of letting you do whatever you are going to do, without trying to intervene.

Far too many people do not realise this and give out the number thinking the opposite. In truth it means if you're going to take your own life, they will stay on the line but not try and convince you not to.

While awareness is great we desperately need properly funded

crisis services and ongoing community mental health support. Right now a lot of us get pointed to the Samaritans, volunteers, mindfulness or a hot bath. Most campaigns tell us to talk to a friend when, for a great many people, myself included, it would place that friends`

wellbeing at risk as well as our own.

If you are happy to raise awareness, please please also consider airing this with your MP. It may not do a lot, but the louder we are about mh services being vital, especially in these times of such loss, the better.

I'd really like to emphasise too that, "is there someone you can talk to" can be really risky for some people too.

I have put people into a worse place, and had it happen with me. A lot of people's issues are complex and require help from people with training.