Does someone close to you seem really down?

Might they be thinking about suicide? The only way to know is to ask.

Suicide is rare, but it happens. There are over 6,000 deaths by suicide in the UK every year – an average of 16 per day.

Don’t think: It couldn’t happen to us. It can happen in any family

Intense emotional strain and mental exhaustion can cause people to behave in uncharacteristic and unpredictable ways.

Don’t think: “He’s not the suicidal type.” There isn’t one.

Some things that drive people to think about suicide are:

• personal catastrophes, such as being made redundant, the collapse of their own business, the break-up of a relationship and being refused access to children
• a persistent sense of worthlessness or failure; uncertainty about sexual identity or personal goals
• good things happening to other people (such as friends getting married, going off to university or getting new jobs) and feeling left behind
• a combination of the above. A whole series of little setbacks can sometimes be more devastating than one big thing.