SOS ARE RECRUITING
Check out our job opportunities
Simply go to: https://sossilenceofsuicide.org/sos-are-recruiting/
THANK YOU TO ALL FUNDRAISERS WHO TOGETHER RAISED OVER £8,000 DURING THE WEEKEND OF 9/9/23
By participating in the AJ Bell North Run, crossing Singapore on foot and others – THANK YOU to everyone!
Pictures and summaries to follow!
tURNING YOUR COMPASSION INTO ACTION
MENTAL HEALTH, WELLBEING & SUICIDE SUPPORT
Has your mental wellbeing deteriorated?
Don’t like the world we live in?
Feeling isolated and lonely?
Bereaved? Whether by suicide or not?
Just need someone to talk to and someone to listen
Have a reduced life expectancy and/or quality from a terminal illness & want the right to choose when you pass
Have no mental health problems, but you need to hear a friendly voice
Helpline, Online, In Person
FreeFone 0808 115 1505 (UK CALLS ONLY)
CRISIS & NON-CRISIS SUPPORT CHARITY
WELCOME TO SOS SILENCE OF SUICIDE
Suicide Prevention, Suicide Intervention
Suicide Awareness, Emotional Wellbeing & mental health
SOS began as a social support group in 2015, founded by Michael Mansfield and his wife Yvette, following personal losses to suicide. They decided the elephant in the room needed to be discussed openly to help fight shame, stigma and silence surrounding mental health and suicide.
Being a small charity brings huge challenges, not least, being able to serve the huge demand we’ve seen for our phone support services since they started in August 2020 and especially now we are rolling out our face to face events – a welcome comeback for meetings that proved hugely successful and very well attended.
SOS advocates for compassion in society to encourage understanding, tolerance and kindness
SOS Suicide PIA Initiative
Our helpline is open 7 days a week and you can reach us on freephone
0808 115 1505 (UK CALLS ONLY)
EVERY WEEK NIGHT 8PM UNTIL MIDNIGHT
AND BETWEEN 4PM AND MIDNIGHT ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS
0808 115 1505 (UK CALLS ONLY)
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HELPLINE SUPPORT
EMOTIONAL HEALTH, SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, EMOTIONAL WELLBEING & MENTAL HEALTH, BEREAVEMENT, ISOLATION, STRUGGLING TO FIT INTO THE WORLD, HAVE A TERMINAL ILLNESS OR SIMPLY NEED TO HEAR ANOTHER VOICE
EVERY NIGHT 8PM-MIDNIGHT
4pm until midnight on saturdays and sundays
YOU CAN NOW CALL OUR HELPLINE FOR FREE
0808 115 1505
And let’s talk about what’s on your mind
If our line is busy and there is an immediate risk to the life or safety of someone, please dial 999 immediately
You can also dial 111 for extra mental health support
#HELPLINE SUPPORT
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SOS SERVICES
MORE SUICIDE SUPPORT HELPLINE HOURS
More poor mental health helpline hours
More hours for anyone who needs someone to talk to, listen and care, whatever the reason for their call
More services, more of the time
7 evenings a week between 8pm and midnight
(And 4pm until midnight on Saturdays and Sundays)
Call Freephone: 0808 115 1505 to connect to SOS
Face to face group meetings
Online meetings
Working in the community
TAKE A MINUTE TO HELP US REACH MORE PEOPLE
BY TELLING US HOW YOU HEARD ABOUT US
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When You Should Call 999
IN DANGER? AT RISK?
From yourself or someone else?
SUICIDAL THOUGHTS?
Then please dial 999 straight away if there is a risk to your life and safety.
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Who Do We Support?
Our phone lines help support vulnerable young people and adults – anyone who just needs to hear, and engage with, someone else. Nothing is off limits, so if you just want to chat because of loneliness, or you are feeling frightened by the thoughts you are having, give our fabulous volunteers a call Our number is now Freephone so won’t cost you anything at all. However it’s touched your life, if you need mental health and/or suicide support, we are here
CRISIS OR FEELING LOW: Call 0808 115 1505 8pm until Midnight
(including Bank Holidays) UK callers only please
To help ensure safety and assurance to our service users, our phone support volunteers are all holders of enhanced check certificates.
Alongside our helpline, we also support the general public, businesses, Government departments and other charities, working together to reduce the shame, stigma & silence that can stifle potentially beneficial conversations. We do this through group face to face meetings and discussions which are free to the general public.
Poor emotional health
Suicidal Thoughts
EMOTIONAL WELLBEING
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When NOT to use our helpline 0808 number
When our 0808 number should not be used
Please do not use our 0808 for general enquiries, this is our support line number only and volunteers will be unable to assist you. If you have feedback, comments or wish to make a complaint, then you can read how to do this by scrolling to the bottom menu on the home page
You can also contact us through our contact page
Please allow up to 7 working days for an email response.
#dontwalkonby
SOS MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY
Supporting poor emotional health
Suicidal Ideation
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SOS Silence of Suicide
encouraging self belief and confidence.
We always try to encourage people to realise that even when all around seems dark, by looking that bit harder, the tiny ray of hope is there, and can become bigger
To learn more about suicide and mental health generally visit the website of the World Health Organisation
Remember, you are always enough
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Want to volunteer with SOS?
We’d love to hear from you to discuss how we could make a difference, together. Our service delivery means we would require volunteers with the ability to deliver 4 hours per week in one block, so please do not apply if you’re unable to commit to this, but thank you for considering us, we appreciate your time.
CHECK OUT ALL OUR VOLUNTEERING ROLES AND APPLY TODAY!
Our next training dates are: 9-13 October 2023 (inclusive)
Please ensure you are able to complete training as specified as we cannot split the programme, thank you
For any questions about our training, please email training@sossilenceofsuicide.org
OUR HELPLINES SUPPORT THOSE WITH
POOR EMOTIONAL HEALTH, SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, HELP WITH MENTAL WELLBEING,
TERMINAL ILLNESS, BEREAVEMENT, ISOLATION AND LONELINESS – IN FACT ANYTHING THAT BOTHERS YOU
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HELP IN TIMES OF CRISIS, SADNESS & GRIEF
SOS was founded in 2015 by Michael Mansfield QC and his wife Yvette, following personal losses to suicide
Our aims are simple – from the start, we realised the importance of communication, compassion and kindness to reduce shame, stigma and silence around mental health and suicide.
We are qualified by experience, not by certification. Through bereavement and personal mental ill health challenges, we believe we have the insight necessary to help support others. Only when you have trodden a certain path, can you understand the struggles of those coming behind you and those who have gone before.
‘SOS is about building individual and collective resilience, empowering everyone to believe in their own self worth’ Yvette Greenway-Mansfield, CEO,
We were formed as a social support group in 2015 following the loss of two loved ones to suicide. We became a registered Charity in 2017.
Our core focus is to provide free (to the public) group meetings in a safe physical space, or online, where anyone affected by suicide or poor emotional health can talk openly and honestly about their thoughts.
Whether our meetings are public or private, the content of these discussions has broadened tremendously since our inception, when the focus was fully on suicide. We now discuss, in depth, some of the many reasons that can lead someone to have thoughts of suicide, or to attempt it and explore these
We have had discussion input from people who do not class themselves, and have not been diagnosed as having, poor mental health, but still wish to end their lives by suicide. The reasons for this are multiple, but include not understanding the ‘purpose’ of life, feeling a sense of hopelessness (but not necessarily despair or depression) and those with terminal illnesses who wish to choose when and how they will pass away.
There can be many reasons for fragile mental health – financial and work concerns, domestic abuse victims, the elderly who may live alone, in care or have mobility restrictions, those in isolated professions or geographical areas, single parents struggling to cope on their own, young people and the pressures and changes they encounter as they grow up, victims of bullying, ex service and military personnel, those meeting prejudice because of their sexuality and gender, or trying to come to terms with it themselves, ethnic minorities – the list is endless.
In short, no-one is immune from poor emotional health, but there is hope and help for everyone
We believe that communication – that is speaking and listening – to others who have experienced similar situations to yourself, is key in helping people work to improve their mental wellbeing. There is a saying ‘A problem shared is a problem halved’ and there is no doubt that talking with others can help lessen the burden people carry. At the heart of everything we do is a desire to reduce shame, stigma and silence.
Just some of the feedback from our users includes:
‘Thank you so much for listening to me, I feel better for talking’
‘Thank you for everything you do. Your services are vital’
‘I’ve never talked to anyone about how I feel before. You’re the first person. Thank you so much’
‘Talking to me has given me some self help ideas for times when I feel really bad’
‘I’ve just managed to get out of bed and it’s thanks to you, you’ve given me the ability to do this’
‘I wish smaller charities like SOS, who do such amazing work and have kept me alive and never abandoned me, need much more funding and recognition.’
Everyone is potentially vulnerable, and fragilities are exposed and created when people are concerned about jobs, paying the mortgage or rent and simply having enough money to exist on from day to day.
The shame, stigma and silence that surrounds not just suicide, but mental health generally, is something we are passionate about changing. No one should feel judged. No one should feel awkward. No one should feel isolated because of their poor mental health.
For as long as it takes, we will continue to support everyone who needs our help
0808 115 1505
Are you an Employer?
Talk to us about our confidential, group talking and listening sessions that we can provide for your staff. Whatever size your business, we can host online meetings for up to 100 staff members at a time or can attend your premises to assist with your provision of mental health support.
Consider using our services if you’re just starting to implement mental health support in the workplace or to complement your existing mental health support protocols. Please email: contact@sossilenceofsuicide.org and we will get back to you.
The following is taken from Health & Safety Executive report in relation to days lost at work because of mental health related illnesses. Does your business need to review its environment, structure and staff wellbeing protocols? How much could your benefit from with improved processes to identify and support poor emotional health?
914,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety (new or
long-standing) in 2021/22
Labour Force Survey (LFS)
17.0 million working days lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in
2021/22
Labour Force Survey (LFS)
Whether you are a local or national business, there are plenty of opportunities to sponsor and support SOS public meetings.
If you recognise the importance of people coming together, feeling safe and unjudged, then please contact us about how you might be able to support our meetings by emailing support@sossilenceofsuicide.org
LATEST SUICIDE DATA FROM ONS
2021 figures
The following bullet points are reproduced from, and the copyright of, the ONS. To read the report in full, you should go to: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2021registrations
- In 2021, there were 5,583 suicides registered in England and Wales, equivalent to a rate of 10.7 deaths per 100,000 people; while this was statistically significantly higher than the 2020 rate of 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people, it was consistent with the pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic rates in 2019 and 2018.
- The fall in the suicide rate in 2020 was likely to have been driven by a decrease in male suicides at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and delays in death registrations because of the pandemic.
- The latest figures include deaths that occurred in 2020 and were subsequently registered in 2021 owing to disruption to coroners’ inquests; this provides evidence that the suicide rate did not increase because of the coronavirus pandemic.
- Around three-quarters of suicides were males (4,129 deaths; 74.0%), consistent with long-term trends, and equivalent to 16.0 deaths per 100,000, the rate for females was 5.5 deaths per 100,000.
- Among females, the age-specific suicide rate was highest in those aged 45 to 49 years (7.8 deaths per 100,000), while among males it was highest in those aged 50 to 54 years (22.7 deaths per 100,000).
- Females aged 24 years or under have seen the largest increase in the suicide rate since our time series began in 1981.
- In 10 out of the 11 previous years, London has had the lowest suicide rate of any region of England (6.6 deaths per 100,000), while the highest rate was in the North East with 14.1 deaths per 100,000 in 2021
Mental Health & Young People
A couple of key findings from NHS Digital. No copyright is accredited to SOS Silence of Suicide
• Probable mental disorder: Rates of probable mental disorder increased between 2017
and 2021; in 6 to 16 year olds from one in nine (11.6%) to one in six (17.4%), and in 17 to
19 year olds from one in ten (10.1%) to one in six (17.4%). Rates in both age groups
remained similar between 2020 and 2021.
• Change in mental health: Looking at individual-level change, 39.2% of those aged 6 to
16 years in 2021 had experienced deterioration in mental health since 2017, and 21.8%
experienced improvement. Among those aged 17 to 23 years in 2021, 52.5% experienced
deterioration, and 15.2% experienced improvement.
To read more about this and to look at data tables, go to: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2021-follow-up-to-the-2017-survey#data-sets
It’s important to stress that whilst SOS began life with a focus firmly on suicide – the causes, the effects, the impacts and that stats, we have developed into a charity whose focus is now truly diverse.
For example, we speak with, and support:
*People who simply do not understand what the purpose of life is and do not enjoy the world they live in.
*People who have never been diagnosed with a mental health illness, nor do they consider themselves to have any psychological problems, but struggle with the demands of life on a daily basis and just need someone to talk to, someone they can relate to
*People who are terminally ill and where quality and length of life are impacted. For these people, they want the right to choose when they should die to spare themselves and their loved ones, from a drawn out lead up to death
*People who feel that NHS and/or private services do not offer the continuum of support that they so badly need
*People who are lonely and isolated and desperately need a friendly voice at the end of the phone
*People who are going through bereavement, whether or not it is by loss to suicide
*Alongside those who do have suicidal ideation, who are self harming and who do need mental health support.
*Our aim is always to generate hope and positivity, whilst listening to, and acknowledging, everything our callers are struggling with.
*SOS is not here to advise people on what they should do. We aim to encourage conversation which may give the caller the option to re-think their plans or beliefs without influence by us.
All of our volunteers either have singular or multiple lived experiences and/or knowledge within the following fields:
*Mental Wellbeing & Mental ill health
*Suicide (which includes bereavement and/or previous thoughts of, or attempting suicide)
*Some are students currently studying at University a mental health discipline
*Some are qualified counsellors, although SOS do NOT offer a counselling service themselves
*All have a desire to help those in crisis and attempting to find ways to help make a difference.
Our founders have combined experience of mental ill health, thoughts of suicide and bereavement by suicide.
We believe that lived experiences contribute heavily to the quality of our services.
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Our Partners
