Press contacts:
Elizabeth Charlesworth: elizabethcharlesworth@thecalmzone.net
Jack Butler: jackbutler@thecalmzone.net
About CALM
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is a suicide prevention charity fighting to help people end their misery and not their lives.
- They run a life-saving helpline run by professionals for anyone affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts. It’s free, anonymous and open from 5pm to midnight every day. You can get in touch over the phone, using their livechat or through WhatsApp.
- Their website has loads of tools and resources packed with practical, non-clinical advice to make talking and managing mental health easier.
- CALM also run vital campaigns to increase awareness, smash stereotypes, and change the culture around mental health and suicide.
- They’re a charity and they need your support. Please donate if you can - £12.20 funds a call to their life-saving helpline. You can also run, walk, climb, stream and more to support CALM’s services.
Important facts
1 in 4 of us will have suicidal thoughts in our lifetime (AMPS)
Someone in the UK dies by suicide every 90 minutes - someone in the UK attempts suicide every 3 minutes (Samaritans)
Someone struggling contacts the CALM helpline every 59 seconds (CALM)
Suicide is the most preventable cause of death in the UK
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 (ONS)
Suicide is the leading cause of death for 15-39 year olds in the UK - meaning it’s the leading cause of death for young people in the UK (ONS)
Young women aged under 24 have seen the highest rise in suicide rate since records began (ONS)
Young people aged 16-34 within the LGBTQ+ community are almost twice as likely to die by suicide than their straight heterosexual counterparters. Suicide is a leading cause of death and, regardless of age, you’re 1.3x more likely to die by suicide if you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or another sexual orientation (ONS)
80% of suicide survivors believe their attempt was preventable (source)
Language
Don’t use the term ‘commit’ or ‘committed’ suicide - instead we would say ‘died by suicide’
Don’t refer to suicide as being ‘selfish’ or the ‘easy way out’
Don’t speculate about or discuss suicide methods - this has been shown to influence vulnerable people and has been linked to increases in suicide rates
Don’t discuss suicide locations for the same reasons as above
How to signpost CALM
Brief bio:
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) hosts a life-saving suicide prevention helpline and vital online mental health resources for anyone who needs them.
Signposting:
If you’ve been affected by the themes [in this article/ programme/ episode/ production], Campaign Against Living Miseraby (CALM) has tools and resources to help you find the support you need, including a life-saving suicide prevention helpline for people who can’t see a way forward, have lost someone to suicide, or are worried about their friends or loved ones.
Short signposting:
If you’ve been affected by the themes [in this article/ programme/ episode/ production], you can speak to Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) in confidence. Find out more about CALM's helpline, tools and resources at thecalmzone.net.
CALM’s latest campaigns
In the last 10 years, 6,929 young people died by suicide and suicide is now the leading cause of death for young people in the UK (aged 15-34). CALM launched Missed Birthdays to bring the issue of youth suicide out of the shadows and into the public conversation, and developed the CALM C.A.R.E kit to help you take action to protect the young people in your life from suicide.
Research shows that receiving a compliment enhances the good stuff in relationships and increases general happiness, so we encourage people to reach out to their friends and we give people the tools they need to start conversations and check in with loved ones
In partnership with MoneySuperMarket, this new piece of research explores the impact of money worries on mental health. It found that 8 in 10 people worry about money but 75% of people haven’t spoken to anyone about this. We’re trying to get people to feel comfortable talking about money, alongside practical advice
New research commissioned by Beavertown Brewery revealed that over half (56%) of the UK have pretended to be ‘okay’ to avoid talking about their own mental health, as (60%) of us feel there is still a stigma around it in today’s society. Through this, we developed the limited edition ‘Open Up’ crisps, which featured emotive questions and prompts printed on the interior of the packets to encourage people to open up about how they're really feeling.
Our Stay Stories show that people aren’t alone and that there’s always a way forward.
A campaign to launch the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and ITV's largest ever suicide prevention initiative, shining a light on the heart-breaking reality that suicidal doesn’t always look suicidal
Our research found that stereotypes around women meant that those in crisis would often hold back from asking for help:
22% worried they’d be seen as attention seeking
33% worried they’d be seen as dramatic or over emotional
31% thought they wouldn’t be taken seriously.
For those who did seek help:
27% were told it could be due to hormones
20% were asked if they were on their period
20% were told they were being dramatic
33% were asked if they were overthinking things
