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Almost every day, he or one of his colleagues sets off a suicide alarm. Mental illness is more widespread than Pär Lundh could have imagined when he started out as a policeman. – It can be difficult. You should not go wrong here, it says about how to handle a person close to suicide.
Police officer Pär Lundh always tries to ask questions as simple as possible when he comes across a person close to suicide, in order to more easily assess the risk.
Often times it is family or friends who sound the alarm that someone does not seem to be feeling well. Perhaps the person wrote about feeling bad or saying goodbye on social media. Not infrequently, it can also be the person himself who calls the police and says that he will take his own life.
In cases where the police leave, it will be their job to make an initial assessment, if the person needs urgent attention. Help is always offered to the person, if necessary the police can also carry out coercive intervention.
– The consequence of us making a mistake on the spot is enormous. For us, it’s about being active listeners, I’m looking for signals that I know may be an additional risk. These are conversations that can take time, we are not in a rush when we go to these jobs, says Pär Lundh, external officer and group manager in the Farsta local police area in southern Stockholm.
National police statistics show that, on average, they make about 50 suicide alarm calls a day. That this is such a common task for the police was not something that Pär Lundh expected before he became a police officer.
– I probably would not have imagined that mental illness would be as widespread as in reality. And it’s not just suicidal people, but mental illnesses in general, people who have personality disorders or for other reasons feel bad, he says.
Coping with this pain can of course be difficult, and then as a police officer you can get help.
– We have improved in taking care of ourselves. The cases in which we have encountered suicide, especially when it comes to younger people, are of course unpleasant visions no matter how many times you have experienced it. There we have routines that we have calls for help and we have contact with our supervisors who help us process this.
At the same time, there is the knowledge that the conversation you have with the person in the event of a suicide alarm can be of great importance. It can make them think in other ways and break a negative thought, says Pär Lundh.
– Many of those we know apologize a little and think that perhaps we have something more important for us, but then we try to explain to them that you are the most important thing for us at this moment. We know that conversation can make a difference, and we’ve received confirmation multiple times that you’ve met people a few years later who really reach out and thank you.
Here you can turn if you feel bad
Ambulance, police and rescue service, emergency 112, otherwise 11414.
The care guide, 1177, 24 hours a day.
Fellow on duty, contacted at night on 08-702 16 80.
The priest on duty is open at night. Call 112 and ask to speak to the priest on duty.
Poison Information Center, 010-45 66 700, 24 hours a day.
The suicide line, available by chat and telephone 90 101 24 hours a day, every day.
Föräldralinjen, 020-85 20 00. Open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 3 pm and Thursday evenings from 7 pm to 9 pm.
Line for the elderly, open Monday through Friday 8-19 and weekends 10-16 at 020-22 22 33.
More aid agencies can be found at mind.se
Source: Mind
