There is a bridge in Derry that has been the scene of probably some of the most gut-wrenching emotions and overwhelming loneliness that a human being could ever have the misfortune to experience. This bridge is a scene of quiet heartache and hidden anguish that has seen people desperately trying to rid themselves of the flood of feelings that eventually carries them over the metal barrier to their deaths.
It is becoming a bridge that is a beacon for people looking for a tragic escape from the torment of their lives, leaving heart-broken family and friends behind.
A few days ago marked World Mental Health Day, a day to remember that all of us need to look after our mental health and try not be afraid to seek professional help if we start getting overwhelmed in our daily lives. Mere days after World Mental Health Day on October 10, another life was abruptly brought to an end from that bridge in Derry, raising the question once again of what help there is currently in the city and indeed, in the country, for people who need it.
The mind is an amazing and terrifying place that is being understood more and more every year. Studies are exploring the ways that our brains work from when we are babies to when we are matured and ageing. So when something seems a bit different or a bit abnormal, we panic.
Perhaps it is because we don’t understand everything about the mind that we are more uncertain of how to act when or how to treat someone with a mental health issue. And these issues are difficult to talk about, even to close family and friends.
It doesn’t help that, generally, people portrayed in films and other media with mental health issues are almost always of the deranged murderer type or psychopath. Media, film and literature thrive off our fear of the unknown and the fear of losing ourselves to the intricacies of our minds.
Northern Ireland has the highest suicide rate in the United Kingdom. It is a complex, traumatic and frightening experience for everyone affected. It is difficult to understand, yet it is precisely understanding, care and empathy that people need when they are in this alternative world of pain.
Perhaps it is a mix of the legacy of the troubles in Northern Ireland and the dire economic conditions in the region that contribute to these high numbers, which is something that has been and is being explored today.
And such is the wider world now that everyone is busy in their own lives and we can sometimes miss arrangements with friends and forget to do things that remind us of who we are. It’s a wild and vibrant world out there, especially on social media, but it pays to take regular breaks from the din that permeates most of our lives and look out for each other a bit more.
One of the most difficult things a person can do is ask for help, but this can be made easier for people by each of us asking another person if they are all right and caring enough to follow up. Just a simple question to a friend or loved one can make a difference.
I’ve seen what mental ill health can do to people and families. Sometimes professional help is the only path and something that should be as natural as going to the dentist and not have such stigma attached to it. Taking those steps is sometimes the bravest thing a person can do.
Christina Curran is a journalist currently studying a Masters in International Relations at Queen’s University, Belfast.
