Can hope save your life?
By Dr Jed Boardman…
We are all aware of the increasing demand for mental health services, especially for children and young people. The mental health difficulties faced by people do not occur in isolation, but in the context of our wider social and economic environment and the crises and longer-term difficulties that we face in our daily lives.
In these difficult circumstances we not only need emotional support but also practical help to deal with the conditions that contribute to our fragile and damaged psychological state. The list of possible crises and continuing troubles are legion, but commonly includes financial strain, debt, welfare benefit problems, as well as housing, employment, and relationship difficulties.
These crises and difficulties can have severe consequences for individuals, families and communities and contribute to the statistics on completed suicide. One demographic group that are of particular risk of completed suicide are middle-aged men (40-50 years) who account for about a third of deaths by suicide in England.
A recent series of publications from the University of Bristol in the UK reported on the success of a third sector scheme, the Hope Project, based in the Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire area of the west of England that provides emotional and practical support for men aged 30-60 years.
The men using this service often had multiple and severe problems, including homelessness, loss of job, removal of welfare benefits, and criminal injunctions. Many had addiction problems, a history of childhood trauma, and almost half had made a previous suicide attempt.
By creating a supportive space for these men, helping them to identify matters of importance to them and providing specialist advice for their practical difficulties, the Hope service helped to reduce feelings of depression and ideas of suicide as well as their ability to deal with financial matters. Reports from the men who used this flexible and integrated service were positive – it was easy to access, offered a safe opportunity to talk about difficult matters, increased their sense of confidence and control, and importantly many said that ‘hope saved their lives’.
The evaluation of the Hope service reinforces what we already know about what supports recovery in people with mental health conditions – Hope, Agency and Opportunity. We need to see more community-based mental health services that offer help with emotional and practical matters and address these three important recovery-orientated factors.
The University of Bristol policy briefing is available online: Practical and financial advice within suicide prevention services can make them more effective.
For other recent reports on financial advice see:
