Trigger warning: This post deals with suicide and may be distressing to some readers.
For years, Sergeant Kevin Briggs patrolled San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate bridge, from which more than 1,600 people have leapt to their deaths.
He was often charged with convincing suicidal men and women perched precariously on the cord at the side of the bridge, to step back over to safety and give life another chance.
“I can tell you from experience that once the person is on that cord, and at their darkest time, it is very difficult to bring them back,” he said in a recent TED talk.
But he’s done exactly that a number of times and he has an important message for those considering suicide: “Suicide is preventable. There is help. There is hope.”
If you’re worried a loved one might be contemplating suicide, Sergeant Briggs has these words of advice:
For those who can’t get away to watch right now, here’s one powerful excerpt from the TED talk:
“In my experience, it’s not just the talking that you do, but the listening. Listen to understand. Don’t argue, blame, or tell the person you know how they feel because you probably don’t. By just being there, you may just be the turning point that they need.
If you think someone is suicidal, don’t be afraid to confront them and ask the question. One way of asking them the question is like this: ‘Others in similar circumstances have thought about ending their life; have you had these thoughts?’ Confronting the person head-on may just save their life and be the turning point for them.”
One more thing that Sergeant Briggs has learned in his line of work?
The individuals who did choose to jump — and miraculously lived to tell their story — all report regretting their decision immediately after leaping. As he puts it:
“The very few who have jumped off the bridge and lived and can talk about it — that one to two per cent — most of those folks have said that the second that they let go of that rail, they knew that they had made a mistake and they wanted to live.”
If you agree this is an important message – please share.
If this post brings up issues for you, or you just need someone to talk to, please call Lifeline on 131 114. You can also visit the Lifeline website here and the Beyond Blue website here.
Top Comments
A movie called The Bridge (available from my local video store at Summer Hill) interviews survivors of suicide jumps at the Golden Gate Bridge - telling the same story as above. My friend Justin wrote up his suicide jump from New York's Brooklyn Bridge at http://justinlall.com/tag/s... (Parts 1 to 4 which read from the bottom up) and in massive detail (takes many many hours to read) at http://forumserver.twoplust.... Justin's conclusions are the same as above, including about regret. Curiously, Justin's details about his suicide jump in Part 3 of the first link (indirectly) helped free Gordon Wood from jail, but that's another story. Justin subsequently qualified for the USA Open Bridge Team and won a medal at the World Open Bridge Championships.
Took an overdose once (I was very young and very frightened, still can't go into why).
In my ignorance I didn't realize you throw up. Looking back, life has had it's ups and downs, the ups, more often than the downs. I am so glad that that overdose was not a success. I am very grateful for the life I have had.
This is the first time I have ever told anyone about this, I was too shocked and even ashamed to ever admit this to anyone before.
If anyone ever feels this way please talk to someone, I didn't.
Thank you for sharing. I know it can't have been easy. I hope your life is full of love and happiness now. Always remember you are important, valued, special and worth while xxoo