SUICIDE RISK FOR NEETS

The new year is always a good time for publishing survey results, and naturally there is no news that makes the headlines like bad news.

The fact that NEETS, those neither in education, employment or training, feel that their lives are not worth living, is not news, it’s history, and sadly something that continues to repeat itself.

Back in 2011, The Daily Mail, the dubious voice of middle England, stated  ‘We risk creating a generation without hope'.

It is little wonder that so many feel that way, when the gap between expectation and realisation becomes increasingly wider.

Many of those now reaching adulthood are the products of the ‘me’ generation, when we were led to believe we could have anything we wanted, that anything was possible, regardless of the consequences.

This generation are now reaping the results, and I would suggest it is the breakdown of family, in whatever form, that has been a significant factor in creating the current feelings of angst. Few of us are fortunate enough to sail through life without trauma and disaster of some kind, be it failing an important exam, money or relationship problems, health or work issues. Life is hard, and to bring up children believing otherwise is to do them a disservice.

It is however the support mechanism that is in place when the poo hits the fan that can make all the difference to the outcomes. I say this from the voice of experience, having been homeless, penniless, without work, coping with suicide, divorce, illness and more. There have been times when, without the support of friends, who to all intents and purposes became my family, I may well have buckled under the pressure.

What is important is that, before it reaches the point of no return, to believe there is still hope. That, to use a well worn cliche, there is light at the end of the tunnel, that things will get better. Once all hope is gone it is so much harder to pull back from the brink. I know from my work with Samaritans, and support of such organisations as Shelter, who provide a vital service to those in need in times of distress, that it is the feeling of having no-one to turn to in your hour of need, it can be impossible to see a way out. We all have our own coping mechanisms; there is no one size that fits all, but for those of us who are more fortunate it is incumbent upon us, in a civilised society, to recognise and try to understand the failings of others, to reach out, without being patronising, providing the support they need, not what we might want to offer. It is natural that when times are hard, as we have been experiencing in the UK in recent years, that we become insular, thinking only of ourselves and our own problems. I’m saddened when I hear people say such things as  ‘I don’t see why I should support that organisation or charity, because it’s not local…’. Yes, charity should begin at home, but when we can all wake up every day and say ‘I have a roof over my head, I am in good health, I have a job to go to, enough food to eat, clothes to wear, and I’m not being abused…..’ surely then we can find the time and energy to support someone else in crisis? That’s my new year resolution. There can surely be no better thing to give someone than hope.