We need a 24/7 Mental Health Emergency Helpline!
The Issue
On January 7th 2021 my son Cal made the hardest of decisions - he decided to tap out of his physical world and find some peace from his depression and suffering. He was just 23 years old when he died by suicide.
Maybe every parent who has a loving relationship with their child would say this, but Cal was a one off. He was unique, he was distinct, he was his own man, he was my best friend. He is my hero as well as my son. We are pained so much by his loss.
We are Cal’s family - his mother, father and sister - and we are campaigning together for a Mental Health Emergency number that will save others from what we’ve been through.
We are further emboldened and catalysed by our Calzy Foundation youth board - the voice of a young generation – a tribe of energised young activists who have been deeply affected by the mental health crisis. With us, they are ready to create the change that our policymakers are failing to put in place for us.
The UK is in the middle of a mental health crisis, with over 6000 suicides in 2020 alone*. A Government funded 24/7 emergency mental health number, operated and staffed by professional mental health practitioners, will save lives.
There are currently many mental health helplines run by different organisations, running in different areas at different times. This means knowing who to turn to when facing a mental health emergency is often confusing, overwhelming and off-putting. With the confusion surrounding who to call, people with suicidal intention and those in mental health crisis are calling 999, which is taking up a lot of police time.
The USA has a mental health emergency helpline 988 for suicide prevention and mental health crises - it’s time we had the same in the UK too.
It will come too late for our son, but there are so many more like him that need this support in their time of need. Please sign our family’s petition to urgently establish a mental health emergency helpline in the UK.
*In the UK in 2020, 6248 people took their own lives. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/mental-health-statistics/suicide-statistics
198,476
The Issue
On January 7th 2021 my son Cal made the hardest of decisions - he decided to tap out of his physical world and find some peace from his depression and suffering. He was just 23 years old when he died by suicide.
Maybe every parent who has a loving relationship with their child would say this, but Cal was a one off. He was unique, he was distinct, he was his own man, he was my best friend. He is my hero as well as my son. We are pained so much by his loss.
We are Cal’s family - his mother, father and sister - and we are campaigning together for a Mental Health Emergency number that will save others from what we’ve been through.
We are further emboldened and catalysed by our Calzy Foundation youth board - the voice of a young generation – a tribe of energised young activists who have been deeply affected by the mental health crisis. With us, they are ready to create the change that our policymakers are failing to put in place for us.
The UK is in the middle of a mental health crisis, with over 6000 suicides in 2020 alone*. A Government funded 24/7 emergency mental health number, operated and staffed by professional mental health practitioners, will save lives.
There are currently many mental health helplines run by different organisations, running in different areas at different times. This means knowing who to turn to when facing a mental health emergency is often confusing, overwhelming and off-putting. With the confusion surrounding who to call, people with suicidal intention and those in mental health crisis are calling 999, which is taking up a lot of police time.
The USA has a mental health emergency helpline 988 for suicide prevention and mental health crises - it’s time we had the same in the UK too.
It will come too late for our son, but there are so many more like him that need this support in their time of need. Please sign our family’s petition to urgently establish a mental health emergency helpline in the UK.
*In the UK in 2020, 6248 people took their own lives. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/mental-health-statistics/suicide-statistics
198,476
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Petition created on 15 May 2023