Dan McGurk: Suicide Prevention and Vikings!

Chatty Geek, Hidden Dragon - Mental Health for Nerds!

English - September 12, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 49.4 MB - ★★★★★ - 2 ratings
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MENTAL HEALTH SPOTLIGHT

This Friday was World Suicide Prevention Day.

Dan works to support the If You Care, Share Foundation based in Chester Le Street. They have an inside-out campaign happening, whereby the instruction is to wear a piece of clothing inside out. The aim is to spark conversations about suicide, mental health, and raise awareness.

Dan also participates in the Movember campaign and sports his Freddie Mercury tash each year. Additionally, Dan does a lot of work with Calm, the “Campaign Against Living Miserably.”

At the end of October is a campaign called the lost hours walk. The premise of this is that the additional hour gained via daylight savings time, is spent walking in the memory of a loved one lost through suicide. It offers the chance also to walk alongside people who suffer from the same experience.

Five years ago, Dan lost his younger brother Callum to suicide. Callum was 27 years old. Having been through this experience, this has driven him to continue his work with Mind, Calm, and If You Care Share.

Dan also comments on how suicide is much more common than is realised:

In 2020…

4912 people died by suicide

The North East of England had the UK’s highest suicide rate, which increased by 15.7% from 2019

75% of deaths by suicide were males

Males aged 45-49 continue to have the highest suicide rate, and it is the largest cause of death for men under 35

Suicide rates for construction workers in the UK were over three times the national average

I ask Dan how ordinary members of the public might be able to make a differenct. Dan’s response is simply to try to persistently ask if people are okay. He also talks about the difference between Sympathy and Empathy.

Calm (Campaign for Living Miserably) visit:

Web: www.thecalmzone.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theCALMzone

Twitter: https://twitter.com/theCALMzone

Twitter handle: @thecalmzone

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calmzone/

If You Care Share:

Web: https://www.ifucareshare.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IFUCARESHARE

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ifucareshare

Twitter handle: @ifucareshare

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ifucareshare/