ChooseLife

Many people will, at some point, feel overwhelmed by what is going on in their lives – and sometimes things can get so bad that they consider suicide.

Orkney Health and Care and ChooseLife Scotland have joined together in producing two local booklets to let people who have been bereaved or affected by a suicide - or those who may be having thoughts of taking their own life - know that they don’t need to cope alone.

The two new booklets provide sources of help and support in Orkney, as well as national helpline numbers.

The booklets: ‘Affected or bereaved by suicide?’ and ‘Thoughts of Suicide - You are not alone’ will be available throughout the county from a wide range of places such as GP surgeries, the Police, the Community Mental Health Team and the Blide Trust.

Caroline Sinclair, Head of Service with Orkney Health and Care’s Service, said: “Sometimes people don’t know who to turn to, or where to get help if they have been bereaved by suicide, or if they - or someone they know - is feeling down, anxious or are having suicidal thoughts.

“Talking is very important, and there are many places in Orkney where you can get the emotional and practical support you need if you are having suicidal thoughts, if you are supporting someone who is having suicidal thoughts, or if you have been bereaved or affected by the loss of someone who has chosen to die by suicide.”

Support may come in the form of information, face-to-face support, or perhaps one of the anonymous help services available.

Information Booklets

The two information booklets are available from the 'Related Downloads' section of this page. Each one is available in two formats. The first version of each is a print version and the second version is a web accessible version that helps people who use assistive technology to read information.

More pages can be accessed from the 'More pages in this section' menu.

Useful Numbers

Breathing Space: 0800838587.

Samaritans: 08457909090.

Orkney Blide Trust: 01856874874.