Bereaved Father Advocates for Suicide Prevention Training
A father whose son's suicide prompted him to attempt to end his own life has called for suicide prevention training to be implemented in every Scottish secondary school.
John Gibson's 24-year-old son, Cameron, who was a veterinary surgeon, died in October 2019.
In January 2022, John established the Canmore Trust charity, which collaborates with schools, colleges, and universities to raise awareness and promote suicide prevention.
Breaking the Silence Training Programme
The Breaking the Silence training programme has been piloted for two years in Stirling and Clackmannanshire schools, targeting pupils from S4 to S6.
John explained that Canmore is an anagram of Cameron and also reflects the charity's belief that they "can (do) more" to prevent suicides among young people.
"There is nothing inevitable about suicide, that's the thing that I have to stress.
People find themselves on a pathway and a tragedy and (think) there is only one end point to this, and that is not true.
At any point, if you were to seek help or someone were to cut across your path and say 'are you ok, can I help you today?', these moments of kindness can be life-changing, literally life-transforming for people."
John described Cameron's death as the "most impactful thing I have experienced, or possibly could ever experience."
"He went off and picked up a friend, they walked a hill together, they went to an art class together, they went out to see friends together and said goodnight.
And then an hour later, Cameron was dead."
Personal Impact and Establishment of Canmore Trust
The following June, when Father's Day and Cameron's birthday were just days apart, John attempted to take his own life.
"It was such a difficult time because I had Malcolm and Eilidh - my other son and daughter - Isobel my wife, all clearly facing their own challenges around Cameron's death.
We were working together so closely, pulling each other through this, and I see it as a set of scales, the weight of responsibility to these three other amazing people was strangely outweighed by the extent of grief I had with Cameron."
John received four months of psychiatric care and subsequently founded the Canmore Trust.
Suicide Statistics and Programme Details
Approximately 200 individuals under 16 lose their lives to suicide annually in the UK.
The Breaking the Silence programme was developed by the charity Grassroots Suicide Prevention in collaboration with Liverpool John Moores University.
This programme assists young people in recognizing signs of suicidal thoughts in their peers and offers guidance on how to respond appropriately.
The three-lesson programme utilizes a video featuring two school pupils, one experiencing suicidal thoughts, to engage students in interactive activities and discussions.
The primary objective is to foster open conversations about mental health and suicide.
The training was initially piloted at McLaren High School in Callander and Wallace High School in Stirling.
"Stirlingshire schools have picked this up quite nicely and we're now into Clackmannanshire.
Some private schools have also asked us to be involved which is good, too."
John reported that the response to the programme has been uniformly positive.
"We have people who contact us in the days and weeks after a presentation to say 'you've caused me to realise where I'm at and I want to talk'."
He recounted being contacted by a mother who was initially skeptical but, days after her children received the training, her son expressed that he "did not want to be here anymore."
"So she was able to open up that conversation, they got an urgent GP appointment and he was taken to a place of security and support for himself, and he got through his suicidal crisis.
And we have any number of these stories."
Student Perspectives on the Training
Pupils at Alva Academy in Clackmannanshire have recently completed the training.
James, an S4 pupil, stated:
"I think it's very important, because if a situation comes up where you actually need to ask someone who's thinking about suicide and you don't know what to say in order to comfort them.
As a younger generation we need to talk about it more, it's not spoken about nearly as much as it should be."
Ruari added:
"A lot of people need to understand what other people are thinking and if they see changes in their personality to ask them what's happening, and just speak about it and not just stay quiet.
I think it is important to share your feelings as men and boys because there's a stigma that boys don't have feelings about this kind of stuff, but they do."
Jess commented:
"I feel like we can notice the signs in people and have the confidence in ourselves to actually speak to them and not shy away.
I feel like it's important to learn stuff like this because if their friends change they won't know what to say or won't have the confidence to say it."
Support Staff Experience
Pupil support teacher Lucy Skelton, who was 11 when her father took his own life, shared her perspective.
"Going through secondary school myself with very little support, we're talking 20 years ago, now to be able to come into a school and provide young people with the tools that would have been really helpful for myself."
Call for Nationwide Implementation
John is advocating for the training to be introduced in every secondary school.
"We're asking for a strength of leadership to say there is an evidence base to this, this is the appropriate next step for us, and we want to have that within every secondary school.
We need to say this is an important piece of work.
We need to equip schools, we need to equip teachers, we need to equip young people so this is a natural conversation that's being had."
Scottish Government Response
The Scottish government stated that individual schools and councils determine the approaches and external partnerships they use to deliver relevant and engaging learning.
A spokesperson said:
"Every suicide death is a tragedy, and our heartfelt sympathies go out to all those affected.
Our aim is for anyone at risk or affected by suicide to get the help they need.
While Scotland's curriculum isn't mandatory, schools can and do discuss these topics through Personal and Social Education lessons, and Education Scotland has already provided national resources to schools on suicide prevention."
The spokesperson added that the government's professional learning resource on supporting children and young people's mental health, which includes learning on suicide and self-harm, is free and available to all school staff.
They further noted:
"The Education Secretary recently met with the campaign group, 3 Dads Walking, and has asked Education Scotland to consider suicide prevention in schools as part of reforms to the curriculum, which are being led by Scotland's teachers."
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, support and advice is available via BBC Action Line.
