Billy Watson: TV campaign aims to break suicide taboo

Every death devastates a community, so when SAMH (the Scottish Association for Mental Health) started planning its Two Too Many campaign, we knew it had to reach as many people as possible. Suicide awareness adverts are being broadcast throughout the day for the first time. This landmark decision by advertising regulators was the culmination of months of perseverance by SAMH, with the charity fighting tirelessly to ensure suicide awareness is not consigned to evening programming.

Suicide and mental health problems remain taboo subjects. But talking is the very thing that can prevent people from descending into despair. We cannot restrict the discussion of suicide to the lonely late hours of the evening; in doing so, we do nothing to explode the myth that it is weak or shameful to need help.

Yes, suicide is a hard-hitting, emotive and uncomfortable subject, but SAMH believes that suicide can be prevented. We carried out 207 interventions with people who were suicidal in the past year and our experience tells us that not everyone who thinks of suicide actually wants to die; many simply want their pain and distress to end. Being able to talk about these feelings can be the first step to overcoming them.

Four times as many people die by suicide in Scotland as are killed in road traffic accidents, yet the subject is seldom discussed. Broadcasting suicide awareness adverts during the day is a crucial step forward in this fight.

The reaction since we launched Two Too Many tells us that the tone is right. Hundreds of people have donated, and we have received deeply moving stories from people affected by suicide who have never before felt able to talk about it. The Twitter message that we received from one man says it all: “I have attempted suicide, my mum has had that 3am phone call and we’ve never spoken about it. Your ads will make it easier to talk.”

If you need help regarding suicide, visit www.samh.org.uk/suicide. If you can help, please text SUPPORT to 70040 to donate £3.

• Billy Watson is chief executive of SAMH,