No mental health issue is as serious as when someone suffering depression or extreme grief takes their own life.
The importance of this issue has been raised this week in spite of an OFCOM ruling regarding comments made by TV presenter Piers Morgan about the Duchess of Sussex.
In an interview earlier this year with Oprah Winfrey, the Duchess had claimed life as a full-time royal had left her feeling suicidal, a claim that drew scorn from Mr Morgan, a former friend of the Duchess.
Mr Morgan claimed he did not believe what she was saying was true, a claim that led to a record 58,000 complaints to the broadcasting watchdog. The presenter resigned from the ITV Good Morning Britain show soon after the incident.
While OFCOM did not uphold the complaints - on the basis that the presenter was allowed to have and express an opinion - it did criticise Mr Morgan’s “apparent disregard” for the topic of suicide.
Of course, not everyone suffering depression or grief contemplates suicide, but for those who are sometimes plagued by such thoughts, mental health workshops in London can prove invaluable.
As well as finding ways to control such thoughts and tackle the root causes behind them, simply attending such workshops can provide reassurance that the issue is being taken seriously, offer understanding, and show those who suffer such thoughts they are not alone.
This may provide a very welcome and reassuring contrast to the insensitive words and attitudes of others, whether public figures or friends and family.
Fortunately, one thing that has not happened is any significant increase in suicide as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In June, the Samaritans noted there was no indication of any raised risk, citing a study on the issue form Manchester University, but it warned that there is a need to avoid complacency, as suicides do increase in times of economic hardship and many will have lost jobs or businesses as a result of the pandemic.
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