Julie Duffy, of Alexandra, shared her experience yesterday to highlight the issue, before a series of five meetings early next month as part of a suicide prevention effort. The initiative has the support of mental health agencies, support networks and police.
''... the 20th of December 2012 is a day that will, for me, forever be associated with the day my heart was broken and my life changed forever,'' Mrs Duffy said.
''Craig, the treasured only son of my husband John and I, who had turned 21 only the day before, took his own life. I remember a feeling of absolute disbelief and raw physical pain. How could this possibly be true?''
The sadness and confusion was apparent throughout the Alexandra community, she said.
''So many people came to express their grief with us but so many also spoke to us of their feelings of disbelief that this young talented man would do something like that. It was just so unexpected and out of character for Craig.
''They were looking for answers from us but we were, and still are, looking for answers ourselves.''
Mrs Duffy said she started looking for someone who had ''walked in the same footsteps as me'' and was told about national group Casper - the Community Action on Suicide Prevention Education and Research.
She talked to one of the founders, Maria Bradshaw, of Auckland, whose son took his own life.
The organisation promoted suicide prevention and supported families bereaved by suicide.
Its approach and programmes were based on research that showed suicide prevention was most effective when located within families and communities.
Ms Bradshaw will be the guest speaker at the series of September meetings.
The Central Lakes Trust is funding her visit.
Central Otago funeral director Janice Millis has also been instrumental in arranging the meetings, which were the first step in gauging whether there was a need for the Casper programmes, tailored to the area, to be introduced in the district.
Central Otago police sub area supervisor Senior Sergeant Ian Kerrisk said any self-inflicted death was one too many ''and we have had an alarmingly high number of [these] deaths in Central Otago in recent years''.
He urged people to attend the meetings and discuss the matter openly.
The charge nurse manager of Central Otago Mental Health, Annie Jennings, said it was a community issue and the mental health agency, which operated under the auspices of the district health board, would link in with Casper and other initiatives to be proactive in suicide prevention.
Mrs Duffy said the initiative would be worth it, even if just one family or just one person received help.
Suicide prevention and intervention community evenings: Cromwell, September 1; Alexandra, September 2; Ranfurly, September 3; Wanaka, September 4; and Queenstown, September 5.
Contact details
If you need help, contact Lifeline New Zealand, 0800 543-354; Youthline phone counselling, 0800 376-633; or Citizens Advice Bureau, 0800 367-222.
