Warning: sensitive topic below but we need to talk about it.
The Last Photo, the latest project from Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), hits you right between the eyes. How out of the blue suicide can feel to the loved ones of the deceased, someone they may have been laughing or joking with only the day before.
Just look at these phone clips, the sort of videos we watch, make and share every day. But what's happening behind closed doors, when they are alone with their thoughts?
I think many of us carry some form of sorrow, and whether we feel able to share it depends on the strength of our support network and the extent of our desperation. Or as Harry says of his father Will, "My Dad didn’t want to die, he just didn’t want to experience the pain he felt any longer. He couldn’t see an alternative."
Everyone's baseline of mental health is different, influenced by contributory factors developed over the years. With the quickening pace of life, digital culture perpetuating the illusion of connection/contact, and the mounting strain of the past few years, it's all too easy for a person to feel adrift or alone in their suffering.
Just scroll down the comments to this campaign video. There are a lot of people out there battling depression, grieving, barely hanging in there. They might choose not to show it or not know who to speak to about it.
According to the charity, 125 people take their life each week in the UK – 70% of them are men. A YouGov survey in June revealed that 61 per cent would struggle to tell someone if they felt suicidal, while more than half (51 per cent) said they didn’t feel confident helping someone who is at risk.
Only 24 per cent of people think that someone experiencing suicidal thoughts would also smile and joke, while just 22 per cent of those polled would share happy photos on social media. Credit to CALM for working to raise awareness of the warning signs, if any, and encouraging everyone to have more open conversations about this crucial topic.
Thanks to the families as well for their generosity and compassion in sharing these stories. It's worth reading some of the short tributes.
For more information on the campaign (which included a photo display by South Bank, digital ads and billboards), head over here.