Below are questions and responses from an interview with a Suicide Prevention Advisor at the charity PAPYRUS. The aim of the interview, conducted in August 2023, was to gain a deeper understanding of suicide prevention in relation to young people aged 35 and under. The responses reflect the personal insights and experiences of one individual based on their work with PAPYRUS.
Could you begin by telling us a bit more about your role and the charity PAPYRUS?
My name is Tom, and I’m a Suicide Prevention Advisor for the PAPYRUS helpline, which is called ‘HOPELINE247’. PAPYRUS is a suicide prevention charity that was founded in 1997, and has been running for 26 years.
The charity was founded by a group of bereaved parents who all lost a child by suicide. Since then, it’s grown into a UK wide charity, that delivers support through our suicide prevention helpline. We also deliver suicide prevention resources, training and campaign for changes in suicide prevention legislation.
PAPYRUS are here to support people under the age of 35 who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide, but also anyone who may be concerned for someone who is having those thoughts as well.
Why is it important to talk about suicide?
It’s important because suicide is the biggest killer of people under the age of 35 in the UK, and each year, we lose 200 teenagers to suicide.
There is a myth that if you use the word ‘suicide’ you’re going to put the idea into somebody’s head, when in fact, using the word ‘suicide’ and talking openly about it, gives people a safe space to discuss what is impacting them. It also gives them a chance to talk about what their concerns are, and it gives them the opportunity to get support.
Has there been any recent trends since the pandemic?
We are cautious about trends in regards to suicide because it can be very complex and there can be a number of reasons why a young person may be having thoughts of ending their life.
There are certain times of the year when we do find ourselves busier, such as around exams or results day. We have also seen an increase in callers talking to us about abuse at home – which could be in the form of physical, emotional or verbal abuse from their parent, caregivers or other family members.
What are some of the big issues facing young people?
There’s lots of things that could be impacting someone, but we do see some reoccurring themes on our helpline, such as loneliness, anxiety, isolation, money worries and relationship issues.
We speak to a wide range of different ages up to 35 years, but a lot of our callers are young people between the ages of 16 to 25. However, between August 2022 to August 2023, we have seen an increase of callers aged 11 to 15 getting in touch for support. And occasionally we do support very young callers under the age of 10 as well – and obviously the things impact someone under the age of 10 can be very different to what’s impacting someone say in their late 20s.
We also speak to parents who may be concerned for their child. But as well as parents we will support anyone who’s concerned for somebody – whether it’s a family member, a friend, a teacher or a health professional. Concerned others are understandably worried that a young person may not be safe, and we are here to support them and give them advice on how they can support somebody who is having thoughts of suicide.
Are certain groups more at risk?
We know that suicide and mental health doesn’t discriminate, so it could impact anybody you know, regardless of their socioeconomic status. However, there are some groups that do present as high risk, such as the LGBTQ+ community, those with autism, and even certain professions such as being a vet or dentist.
If you are an employer, take this opportunity to review what support you have in place to help ensure staff have access to support should they need it.
ONS figures for England and Wales showed that despite having a low number of deaths overall, rates among the under 25s have generally increased in recent years, particularly across 10-24 year-old females. Have you noticed more females reaching out, or is it predominantly males?
It’s difficult to answer that question as our helpline is a confidential and anonymous service, so if people don’t want to share any personal information with us they don’t have to.
But as you mentioned, the ONS data does show that the number of young females taking their own life is increasing. We don’t know why that is, and as we’ve already mentioned, suicide is very complex and there could be a number of different reasons why.
The number of calls to our helpline has increased, so what this does show is that more people are reaching out for support, and that includes females. So it’s amazing that young women are finding the courage to reach out and get support.
With many young adults between the ages of 18-35 in employment, what role does the workplace have in suicide prevention?
At PAPYRUS, we believe that suicide is preventable and that everyone in society has a role to play in terms of spotting the signs and offering support.
Our advice for employers and employees would be to look out for your colleagues. If you notice a change in behaviour or you have any concerns about a colleague, speak to them. It’s about having those open conversations.
We understand it can be a difficult conversation to have, and if you feel unable to have it, then raise your concerns with your line manager or somebody else in your organisation who can offer support. It’s really important that we find out exactly how that person is feeling, and any support they may need.
What do you see as some of the solutions for tackling suicide rates?
Due to the complexities of suicide this is quite a tricky question to answer. We know that most suicides (two out of three) happen outside of the mental health care system – with many of those people who take their own life having no history of mental health.
We believe everyone has a role to play in preventing suicides. This includes talking to each other, learning how to spot the signs that someone may be struggling, learning how to have safe conversations around suicide, and finding out what services are available and how you can signpost people to support.
In the workplace it’s really important to learn how to spot the signs that someone maybe having thoughts of suicide. As we’ve covered already, it could impact anybody, regardless of them having a history of mental health or whether they have gone through a traumatic experience.
You might not know what is happening in the personal lives of your colleagues, so it could be that there is no obvious indication they are having suicidal thoughts. This is why it’s really important to learn how you can spot those signs better. Suicide prevention training can help with this, and give guidance on how to have conversations about suicide.
The more we have conversations, the more we are going to help break down any stigma. As we mentioned earlier, suicide is the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, so there’s lots of people who are having these thoughts and feelings. People are not alone with it, and it’s really important that we do break that stigma so that people can get the support they need – and we can help to do that by talking more openly about it.
Further support
If anyone 35 or under is looking for support, or if you are concerned about someone, you can visit the PAPYRUS website which contains plenty of guidance and resources. You can also contact their 24/7 confidential HOPELINE247 on 0800 068 4141 or send a text message to 88247.
End of interview
Further support is also available from other charities and organisations:
Samaritans – Call 116 123 to speak to a Samaritan, who can offer emotional support to anyone in distress.
NHS – You can call 111 for mental health support and advice that’s not urgent.
Mind – Mental health support.
Shout – You can text “SHOUT” to 85258 for free from all major UK mobile networks. You’ll then be connected to a volunteer for an anonymous conversation by text message.
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – If your organisation has an EAP in place, you can also contact this helpline for support.
If you are actively suicidal now and the situation is life threatening, you can call the Emergency Services on 999.
Ref: WPW0250 this information was reviewed May 2025.
