Suicide, Understanding Help: A public service documentary to watch on Arte

“Suicide is a problem that worries absolutely everyone. In terms of epidemiology, suicide mortality is equivalent to traffic accidents. But we talk less about it, because suicide “creates a lot of prejudice. It is a difficult topic to talk about and unfortunately it is still taboo.”

It is in these conditions that Emilie Ollier, placed in the emergency and post-emergency psychiatric unit of the University Hospital of Montpellier, establishes a beneficial frame of reflection at the center of the public benefit documentary: Suicide, You Hear Help, Director. James Barratt, available arte.tv Until December 8, 2023.

Because it is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Every year, 800,000 people take their own lives worldwide, and several million survive suicide attempts.

This silent drama, which affects individuals from all walks of life, from all generations and from all countries, also results in collateral victims: loved ones who are constantly experiencing themselves, even traumatized ones. On average, suicide destroys the lives of about twenty other people.

A discomfort that is all the more profound because there is a wide range of risk factors, both internal and external, that can accumulate: a history of suicide in the family, previous attempts, drug addiction, unemployment, economic-financial problems, family problems. Problems with the justice system…

“A significant part of the risk is genetic” explains Dr. John Mann, professor of neuroscience, psychiatry and radiology at Columbia University in New York. “But an equally important part is ecological, that is, related to experiences that change the expression of genes; This is what we call it. epigenetics“.

Danish model

Contrary to popular belief, it is often possible to prevent people with suicidal thoughts from taking action with timely treatment. In addition to the essential role of associations in helping people bereaved by the suicide of a loved one, one of the keys to this help is prevention at the community-wide and national level.

Denmark, given as an example in the documentary, understood this well. In the late 1980s, alarmed by the high suicide rate in the Scandinavian countries, the authorities adopted a series of measures, such as comprehensive psychiatric care, which helped to reduce this rate. At the same time, access to weapons and high-risk drugs has increased. In this country, prevention goes even further: from school onwards, children are encouraged to express their feelings and not to hide their emotions.

Meeting with researchers, psychiatrists, neurologists, but also relatives of victims or relatives of people who wanted to take their own lives, this poignant documentary highlights the signs that should alert people and ways to deal with the risks, including at home.

If you are suffering or want to help someone, you can contact 3114, the national suicide prevention number, 24/7, or visit 3114.fr