The Little Blue Book

“Are you ok..?” This quiet question, one to another, can reach across the defensive barriers that a person struggling with depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts can erect. It is normal to experience changing moods. Life, we know, isn’t all ‘plain sailing’. And, if we’re feeling a bit bleak, people around us will generally pick up on it: “You seem a bit out of sorts today,” they may say. Similarly, we don’t have any trouble picking up on positive feelings, “Hey, did you just win the lotto or something?” The truth is that we can often ‘read’ people and what’s happening in their lives better than we might realise. We can use that perceptiveness and those feelings that we pick up from someone when we know them well, to help them – and to direct them to the professional help they need – if they seem to be caught in a prolonged ‘dark space’. If their thoughts are turning to suicide, there are clues in their behaviour and in the language they use. The following signs and behaviours may not of themselves be indicators of suicidal thoughts, but they may, especially if a cluster of these adverse signs is present. Physical and behavioural changes: • Loss of interest in personal hygiene or appearance • Persistent loss of energy and an increase in minor illnesses and work absences • Distracted and distant, loss of interest in work • Rapid weight gain or loss, and heavy alcohol or drug use • Withdrawal from family, friends and social activities • Unexplained tears and emotional outbursts. SIGNS SOMEONE MAY BE THINKING OF SUICIDE RECOGNISING DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND OTHER DISORDERS 108