DISCHARGED

When trying to reach out for help many of us have been shut down, shamed, told to toughen-up and had our identities questioned or invalidated. Some of us have had the police called or been forced to go to hospital when we really just needed someone to hear how much we were hurting. For others, being hospitalised proved more harmful than helpful to our lives and our wellbeing. There was nowhere we could talk openly about our suicidal thoughts without the fear of consequences – so we created DISCHARGED.

We specialise in running peer support groups for people with personal experience of suicidal thoughts or feelings. Our support groups create space for us to come together and talk about suicide without being judged or put through a risk assessment. We focus on self-help and mindfully listen to each other’s stories, rather than trying to ‘fix’ or diagnose problems.

Why DISCHARGED?

You might be wondering why our name is capitalised. DISCHARGED is actually an acronym that we created by weaving the values of the Alternatives to Suicide Charter together to form something meaningful to us. We believe that people are Deserving of Inclusion, Support, Community, Hope, Authenticity, Respect, Growth, Empathy and Dignity. Our name, which is also associated with the processes of leaving hospital, reflects our desire for alternative options to current crisis management systems that emphasise in-patient treatment.