Suicide

Not a pleasant topic, but I (Brad) feel led to write to our community about this issue. It is prevelant and affects so many people. For each person that completes suicide there are 8 or more that are directly impacted. These people are also at risk of future suicide attempts. In the last week Angela and I have both spent time ministering to people that have been affected either by suicide or suicidal ideation. Maybe this is occupational hazard, but it is indicative of the need for awareness about mental health, service provision and the ways that we can keep an eye out for family, friends and neighbours. It's also a great opportunity to highlight the many training opportunities that are available for people that want to do something about suicide. Courses such as ASIST and Hope for Life are available to teach about intervention and postvention. If this interests you, get on line and look for where the next course may be running. Hope for Life can often be done as an online course through The Salvation Army.