By Isle of Wight Observer
SPIIOW – the Isle of Wight’s Suicide Prevention and Intervention organisation, are stepping up the work they undertake ensuring that when people are in their darkest hour they can reach out.
During this lock down SPI has seen an increase in people accessing its services, Self-isolation is much talked about as a way of protecting ourselves, and one another, from coronavirus.
Even for those of us who like solitude, this can be too much of a good thing. For others, the thought of being cut off from others for a long time is little short of soul-destroying. Our fear is the impact of social isolation on a person’s
mental health could be worse than the coronavirus itself – with the loss of income and a down turn in businesses along with the loneliness it could result in increases in depression, addictions and suicide.
As of Monday 27th April our teams have stepped up vehicle and foot patrols in areas known as “key locations” We will patrol on foot and by car, and respond to calls, when a person is it at risk. We believe that by receiving skilled crisis intervention support at their time of crisis, people in suicidal distress can be awakened to the hope that there are other ways forward to address the problems they face.
Sarah Adams of Suicide Prevention & Intervention IOW said: “The team members and the trustees are always looking at ways to keep people in our community safe and awake them to the hope that there are other ways forward to address the problems they face.
“We had plans in place to undertake this time of work but due to the current situation we have had to bring this forward and now work hard to bridge the gap in funding”
Paul Green, Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, MH Advisor to SPI said: “The world is a very different place at the moment and we are all being asked to change the way we live and interact with others. As a result there is an
increased demand on services providing support for those who feel they can’t cope at this time.
“SPI IOW provides a vital service in preventing suicide on the IOW. Our team members will be out and about in key locations across the Island and it is therefore imperative that people who feel there is nowhere else to turn, reach out to us and also any friends, families, colleagues etc. who are concerned about someone, encourage them to talk and if needed contact SPI IOW. We are all in this together, and together we can get through this.
Sarah Adams continued: “We know that this is a really hard time right now for everyone and we are also feeling the pinch regarding funding, we ask that if you can donate any amount of money we would really appreciate it, this can be done by clicking here. We would also like to thank everyone for their kind words and support we have received over the past few weeks”.
Someone at risk from Suicide?
If you think or believe that someone you know or have seen someone who is at risk from ending their life from suicide you can make contact with our front line team 24 hours a day in the following ways: SPI Crisis Number (Suicide Intervention Only) 07519008406 24/7 text or call – This number is only to be used if you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or we have a live 24 hour web chat on our website www.spiiow.org.
Anyone interested in learning or joining the on-call from line team can contact SPIIOW at hello@spiiow.org
