Suicidal thoughts are a common symptom of many mental health illnesses. Understandably, these feelings are kept hidden and often normalised. Please reach out to others and although presently nothing but being free from the anguish of your thoughts is what you long for the most, there is hope and a road to recovery.
Frank conversations on suicide and well-being are paramount in our profession. We are all on the mental health continuum. Depending on your life circumstances, you too may find yourself being mentally pushed to the edge. The more we open up and connect with others on our struggles, the more we can fight the stigma around mental health and the need to be anything less then ‘perfect’.
For those afraid to go to their GP, you can see a psychiatrist privately. Medication and talking therapy have been proven modalities that make a world of a difference.
Things you can do right now to help yourself: work on getting good quality sleep, strengthen social networks, eat well, exercise, mindfulness, spend time in nature and stay away from drugs and alcohol as it makes the lows far worse.
Please feel free to reach out anytime. There are also a number of services for our profession that you can access – Confidential, a 24 hour helpline, Nhs Practitioner Health Programme where you can receive 4 sessions of psychotherapy and Dentist Health Support Programme.
