Helping
suicidal through bad times
By
Rob Bleaney ~
editorial@islingtonexpress.co.uk
~ February
21 2003
The country’s first
respite centre for the suicidal is now up and running in Islington.
The Maytree, in Moray
Road, Finsbury Park, is the brainchild of Paddy Bazeley, who had been
involved with the Samaritans for more than 30 years before she began
work on this pioneering new project.
Paddy hopes the centre
will help people though a suicidal crisis point, by providing a safe,
non-medical environment where they can talk through their problems
without being judged.
“Working with the
Samaritans I encountered so many people who were terrified of going to a
doctor or seeing someone about their problems because they might get
locked up or get something put on their record,” said Paddy. “They
all said they just needed a little bit of time out, but there was
nowhere for them to go.
“This centre is really
for people who have been ticking along quite nicely but might suffer
something terrible such as a bereavement and at that point they just
cannot cope. The terrifying thing is that suicide can be a momentary
thought that you act on, but evidence shows that if you can be helped
through this point, you can go on to live happy and successful lives and
never be suicidal again.”
Maytree is a six-bedroom
house where people can refer themselves, or be referred, for a maximum
four night stay. More than £200,000 has been spent refurbishing the
building and the results are impressive. The bedrooms are comfortable
and welcoming and the kitchen is a light area in which to chat and
develop bonds. Already more than 40 volunteers give up their time to
help out at the centre, befriending guests in a non-intrusive and open
manner.
Richard is a volunteer at
Maytree and a man who empathises with the guests, having been through
similar circumstances himself. “I met Paddy 10 years ago after a lot
of things happened in my life,” he said. “My wife died of cancer, I
was sectioned, my son was taken into care and I was diagnosed with
cancer and given two months to live.
“I was very low but not
suicidal, but a doctor assessed me and decided there was an 85 per cent
chance that I was going to kill myself that night. I knew, though, I
didn’t need to be sectioned. If there had been somewhere like Maytree
things would have been very different for me. Instead I was put through
the system and when I came out I felt like there was something missing
and I had lost control of my life.”
He continued: “The
beauty of Maytree is that you are not judged. It’s not an NHS
environment; you are not sectioned or locked in. When people are in
circumstances of despair they need a non-judgemental environment around
people who have an empathy and understanding. The onus here is on
support not intervention and I think it will save a lot of lives.”
The first guests arrived
at Maytree just before Christmas and Paddy has been delighted with the
feedback she has received from all those who have stayed at the centre.
“What all the guests
have said is that it was wonderful to be treated as a human being, to be
able to talk to people who do not judge and to be treated with respect,”
she said.
Running costs at the
centre are likely to be more than £120,000 a year and donations,
however small, are welcome.
Original
Story
from Highbury and Islington Express
|
