A man who lost his cousin to suicide is appealing for more awareness of what support is available in the county.
Gareth James, from Fishguard, works with families who have experienced suicide but said that the desperation of the situation hit home when a member of his own family recently took his life.
“A young male member of my family had some issues, he couldn’t cope,” said Gareth. “Nobody suspected anything. He was visiting family a few days before just like normal. They didn’t suspect anything.”
Gareth added that in his line of work he had noticed an increase in teenage boys and young men committing suicide in Pembrokeshire.
“I can only imagine how devastating and upsetting this is for those families that are left behind,” he said.
“It really hit home when a member of my own family, again a young male sadly took his own life.”
Gareth believes that something needs to be done about this as soon as possible and that there needs to be more support for those struggling to cope and for their families.
“I just feel that something more needs to be done in Pembrokeshire. There’s not enough information or knowledge in the county,” he said.
“If people are crying out for help they need to know if there are any services or companies out there to support them in Pembrokeshire.”
Gareth is concerned by figures showing that suicide among young men is on the rise and says that they need to be able to access help quickly and easily.
“People who decided to do this, it’s a last minute thing,” he said. “When they are at their lowest [they need to know] that there is something there for them in their time of adversity.
“If they feel like that, they need to know that there is someone to help them.
“There needs to be a phone line available 24/7 with someone they can talk, or in-person support “Apparently there are things in Pembrokeshire but it’s not known. People need to know that these things are available. I feel like the information should be more widely available.
“There is a lack of information in Pembrokeshire for anyone who needs support or a last minute call. It’s not advertised or not known about.”
Gareth also feels that there also needs to be support for families that are left behind to deal with the shock.
He questioned why it was that so many young men in Pembrokeshire are struggling.
“Surely there must be a major lack of information, help and support in the county available to those who might be crying out or desperate for help.
“It makes me very sad that young adults in this lovely county of ours are feeling this way and probably feel they cannot speak up or ask for help,” he said.
“Is there any support for those who desperately need help and is there any help for those families affected by this awful tragedy? I feel there is a lack of knowledge in the county and this needs to be addressed immediately.”
The following services are available for anyone struggling with their mental health:
- Papyrus (for young people under 25)- papyrus-uk.org or call 0800 068 4141
- Hywel Dda Health Board- ring 111 and select option 2 for a triage service for mental health support that will provide advice and support and signpost to services where appropriate.
- Samaritans- www.samaritans.org or phone 116123
- DJP Foundation (for the agricultural community)- thedpjfoundation.co.uk or ring 0800 587 4262
- Mental Health helpline for Wales- callhelpline.org.uk or ring 0800 132 737
- Mind -.mind.org.uk/about-us/mind-cymru-mind-in-wales/
- Gryff’s Mind Space - gryffsmindspace.co.uk
- Sammy Sized Gap- .facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553611190495
- Get the Boys a Lift- gtbal.co.uk/pages/gettinghelp
- Pembrokeshire Counselling Service-pembrokeshirecounsellingservice.org/get-support/
- Pathway Counselling- pathwaycounselling.uk
- West Wales Action for Mental Health- wwamh.org.uk
- The VC Gallery- thevcgallery.com
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