Just one hour could be the difference in saving a life

Amid the ongoing suicide crisis in the region, a Hervey Bay mental health advocate is hoping people will take this course.

Family and Friends Advisory Council chairperson at Hervey Bay Headspace Nichola Stephenson is encouraging people to take a one house suicide prevention course.

Just one hour could separate someone from being able to help save a life.

That is the message Nichola Stephenson, Family and Friends Advisory Council chairwoman at Hervey Bay Headspace, is spreading.

Amid the region’s ongoing suicide crisis, the mental health and suicide prevention advocate recently completed a one-hour suicide prevention course, which is offered by the QPR Institute.

Ms Stephenson, who lost her husband to suicide in 1992, wants as many people as possible to complete the training so they are equipped to recognise the signs and reach out to others who may be in need of support.

A spate of suicides have rocked the Fraser Coast in the past few months, with at least 10 people, some just in their teens, taking their own lives.

Ms Stephenson said there were a lot of people struggling with mental health issues at the moment and not everyone knew how to reach out and get support, or had the energy to do so in the midst of a crisis.

A lack of housing, poverty, health issues and not knowing where to turn were just some of the elements that could impact people, she said.

Ms Stephenson, who is herself trying to secure a new rental home, said she couldn’t imagine the stress it would cause someone who was already struggling and trying to secure a place to live given the current siutation.

When people were in a mental health crisis, it could be very hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, she said.

That was why it was so important for people in the community to be able to recognise when someone was in danger of self-harm.

“Sometimes people don’t even have the energy to talk or be able to trust someone enough to tell them what’s really going on,” Ms Stephenson said.

When she broke her back in 1999, Ms Stephenson said she went through a dark period where it was hard to stay positive.

Her own experience with her mental health struggles and suicide made her determined to help others.

Ms Stephenson said the more people in the community who were equipped to recognise the signs, the fewer would slip through the cracks.

To access the course, click here.

To get support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or contact the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.