IN THE NEWS
Since I started working on my documentary, I have stumbled across some articles relating to the subject of railway suicide. Below are a selection of these.
'TRAIN DRIVER SCARRED AFTER SEEING EIGHT SUICIDES'
When reading this article, it was admirable to see that the driver had decided to speak out about his personal struggles in the hope of encouraging others to seek help.
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Having spoken to Jamie Matterface, a former train driver who experienced suicide at work, I know that the protocol is for drivers to be relieved by another colleague after they witness suicide. This is so they can receive immediate support and ensure their welfare is being looked after. It was interesting to see this wasn't the case with the driver in the article. It makes me question whether this could have been one of the reasons his mental health was affected.
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There were similarities between this driver and Jamie. Both spoke of their feelings of guilt despite being told they shouldn't feel this emotion.
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This gentleman's experience reinforces the importance of my documentary. There are so many train drivers out there that are still struggling after witnessing suicide at work and The Tracks To Recovery hopes to direct them to help and support.
'CELEBRITIES APPEAL TO MEDIA TO CHANGE HOW SUICIDE IS REPORTED'
Above is a section from a Guardian article.
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It explains that public figures such as politicians, authors and actors are calling for changes to be made in the ways the media portrays suicide.
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Essentially, those pushing for change want to replace the term "committed suicide" with "died by suicide" in order to remove the connotations that it is a criminal activity.
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It also wants to change the language the media uses to describe the event itself to prevent copycat methods of suicide being used.
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This is a very interesting piece as it highlights the power the media's words can have on the life choices of others.
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'PASSENGERS ACT TO SAVE THE SUICIDAL AFTER RAIL CAMPAIGN'
My documentary focuses on the impact of railway suicide on train drivers, which has meant that I have done less research into how to prevent suicides themselves.
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As I read this article, I found it heart warming to know that people are taking active steps to help those who are feeling suicidal. It's very powerful that just chatting to somebody can be the reason they are still alive today.
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If more people were to take action then the suicide rates could lessen.
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