Trine (28) tried to take her own life – between 4,000 and 6,000 suicide attempts every year – news Nordland

28-year-old Trine in Mo i Rana in Nordland hardly dares to think about it. That she could have been number 708. Had it not been for a superhero of a big brother. 707 people in Norway took their own lives last year. For a long time, the known number of suicides last year was 693, but now in November it was adjusted upwards by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) to 707. Not since 1988 has the number been higher. – It’s not just numbers, and they’re not just statistics. There are people who are guaranteed to fight tooth and nail. Trine will tell us that she could have been one of the last in the statistics that year. She wants to use the bad experience for something. Think that others might want to listen when she tells. – This with the fact that you have tried, but that it is actually… That there is help to be had, and that it can get better. The cooperation desk between news, LLA and SUJO This case is prepared with figures and interviews obtained by the Cooperation Desk, a joint journalistic project between news, the Center for Investigative Journalism (Sujo) and the National Association for Local Newspapers (LLA). The Directorate of Health estimates that the number of suicide attempts in Norway is between 4,000 and 6,000 a year. But the number is uncertain. We don’t have a good enough overview of how many people try to take their own lives, explains Tove Gundersen, secretary general of the Council for Mental Health. – And we will probably never get that either, because people do not report this in a systematic way. The number we have, this estimate, is in itself very high, she says. While two out of three people who commit suicide are men, three out of four people who attempt to take their own lives are women. The incidence is highest among young women. What can you do if you are worried about someone? We must dare to be direct and ask. It is not dangerous to ask people about suicidal thoughts. It is a myth that it can lead to someone taking their own life. It is therefore important that we are direct and show care. Listening to those who talk about their struggles We share the burdens we carry when we talk about how we feel. We can be aware that when someone experiences a break-up, serious crises, when we know that people are in conflict, they need extra care. It’s simply about caring. And it’s always too early to give up, because it can pass. Most things pass, and it is important that we help people to hold on to the hope that change can happen (source: Tove Gundersen at the Council for Psychical Health) The dark day For many years, Trine had struggled with depression and anxiety. She had been in and out of psychiatry for quite a few years – I guess I actually had my first panic attack when I was eleven, so I had been suffering for … 15-16 years. I didn’t want to be like that for another ten years. She hadn’t planned the date, but to do it. On 3 December 2023, Trine, who had just turned 27, attempted to take her own life. Nothing special had triggered it to be that particular day. – It was quite diffuse. But I had been mentally tired for a long time. Trine and her sister Mette. The picture was taken at a summer party with the whole family in the summer of 2023. Photo: Private photo The superhero She had not told anyone that she intended to take her own life. But the older brother took the signs, without her showing them too well. Because on the same day she had sent him a message – I wrote that I was tired and that I was very happy with him. – I was lucky enough to have a superhero of a brother who… Before Trine continues, she takes a short break. She has asked her brother if he thinks it is okay for her to tell news. He has agreed to that. But he himself wants to stay in the background. She says it was close. – I guess he had a gut feeling and … And found me. Enough time. Fortunately. Now it went fast. She was forcibly admitted to the psychiatric hospital in Bodø. For three days Trine was at the emergency post before she was referred to her hometown. She knew what was “most urgent” when she was discharged. – What was in my head was that I wanted to meet my brother again. Facts about suicide attempts: – The incidence is highest among young women Suicide attempts are actions with the intention of harming oneself, where a desire to die appears. The methods for suicide attempts often differ from the methods for self-harm. In the case of suicide attempts, an overdose with drugs is most common. Suicide attempts can appear as isolated incidents, but many have also carried out several suicide attempts. We have no systematic registration of suicide attempts in this country, but calculations show that the health service treats between 4,000 and 6,000 suicide attempts annually. The number is uncertain. The estimate has been made by the Institute of Public Health on the basis of data from the Norwegian Patient Register, as well as the WHO/EURO registration of intentional self-harm in Sør-Trøndelag for the years 1995–1999. The estimates of incidence show that more women than men report having attempted suicide, and that the incidence is highest among young women in the transition between late adolescence and early adulthood (38). A nationwide Norwegian survey of young people shows that around 8 per cent have tried to take their own life at one time or another. People who have been hospitalized after a suicide attempt have a clearly increased risk of new suicide attempts, especially in the first year after discharge, and especially the first time (source: Norwegian Directorate of Health on its website) The friend “moved” in Trine could easily have ended up in the same track back home in Mo i Rana. If she hadn’t managed to say exactly what had happened. – I think it helped me a lot that I was open. And when everyone knew, they were also there for her. They wanted to help, even if they might not know how. All the time there were people around her. Friends and family came to her home and she to theirs. – I have been lucky in that I have a solid group around me. So it has meant a lot. – You haven’t felt watched? – At times, of course people get scared when that happens. That they are on their toes and a little watchful is completely understandable. – Do you understand if people are afraid to ask directly if someone has suicidal thoughts? – Absolutely. But I don’t think it’s something that can beat a person over. – If you are initially so set on it that you are in the danger zone for a suicide attempt, then you have already come so far that it is not the question that gets over. Here is Trine on a kayak trip with Celina in the summer of 2024: – My best friend who stayed the night, stood up day and night, called around, arranged everything and more for me. Photo: Private photo The cheerful store manager Now this autumn, Trine Blix Lorentzen wrote an open post on social media. “I knew I was much loved by my family and friends, and I knew it was going to be horrible for them.” For her, it wasn’t like everything was dark all the time in the run-up to the December day. – And even if a person struggles with suicidal thoughts and depression, you can be lucky to have some very nice days. Trine says that she has never felt like a burden to others. – Not everyone chooses to end their life because they think it is better for those around them. Perhaps rather because you have been ill for so long that you simply cannot imagine living with the disease any longer. For several years, Trine was manager of a clothing store. A social job. – You have to stand and smile at people, and then you don’t really feel very good on the inside. No one could have foreseen what was to come, she believes. – I am probably perceived as very social and cheerful. So it really came as a bomb for a lot of people. Click with the therapist In her home town, she has received good help in psychiatry. – Absolutely. I don’t know how many therapists I’ve had. But it has so much to say that you click well with your therapist. And I certainly did this time. At the beginning, she received follow-up twice a week, then once a week and now once a month. She can also call to ask for an appointment if she needs it. Trine believes that many people see psychiatry as scary, and that people don’t quite know where to get help. She cannot praise her therapist enough. – She has done more than treat the depression. In a way, she has seen the big picture. My brother saved my life. But I think she has moved on. Putting the brakes on life It’s something she has thought about a lot in retrospect. About taking responsibility for yourself – and slowing down a bit. – I heard my therapist say that I am responsible for my own life, and you for yours. So just actually helping yourself. Put some brakes on life. Pause everything. Because there is a lot that is hectic. – You have a job, you have friends, you have leisure activities and everything around. And then you have to be social and on top of most things. – What happened a year ago, how do you see it now? – Now it’s a completely absurd thought for me. I have come to a much better place. The fact that I had those thoughts there, I can’t really understand today. Today, Trine finds it difficult to understand what happened a year ago. She has personally experienced what it is like to lose friends to suicide: – In 2021 I lost someone I was very fond of, a good friend. And you didn’t see it coming then either. Photo: Private photo – Being open is contagious Tove Gundersen in the Council for Mental Health praises Trine for speaking up. – It is quite normal that life consists of a lot of speed bumps and a lot of effort. And that effort is so unfairly distributed. Therefore, some people will recognize themselves when others stand up and say ‘that’s how I feel’. So it’s contagious, quite simply. Being open is contagious. Trine’s openness can be lifesaving, she believes. Tove Gundersen, secretary general of the Council for Mental Health Photo: Thomas Bjørnflaten – It means a lot. I think that Trine, she shows the way and is open. And we are so incredibly grateful and happy for that. We want much more transparency and much more knowledge about mental health. The light switch is available For Trine, the most important thing now is to say that help is available. She believes depression and suicidal thoughts are still taboo and difficult to talk about. Perhaps that is why she has received a lot of good feedback that she has chosen to be open. Then others can also dare to open up a little – It’s not usual to throw yourself down on the sofa and say “hey, now I’m really struggling”. But Trine wants us to do it. – I feel that it is so cliché to say that, and that it is something that is repeated endlessly. But you need to talk to someone. That’s kind of what helps. Because there is help to be had. Hi!Thank you for reading this case. Do you have any thoughts or tips? Feel free to get in touch! Published 03.12.2024, at 12.43



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