Jacqui Waring - losing a son to schizophrenia and to suicide

"I started to grieve for everything he was losing long before we lost him...it wasn't just him that couldn't see any future clearly, it was me too"

Key takeaways from this podcast

1. Serious mental illness doesn't happen overnight, its a slow emergence
2. We need to re-think how we work with families and loved ones
3. An inspirational example of turning grief into positive conversations for change

Jacqui lost her son Will to suicide in July of 2024. At the time he was an in-patient at New Craigs psychiatric hospital in Inverness, being treated for schizophrenia. Will’s mental ill health didn’t come overnight, it was a long slow and painful road full of anxiety for his family who battled to support him for years until it became clear that Will was seriously unwell. When he was finally diagnosed and started being treated, the family and care team tried to keep Will believing there was hope of a better life ahead but for Will, who loved the outdoors and was singularly determined, the cage of being sectioned in a secure hospital was too much. Since losing Will, Jacqui has turned her grief into a drive for change, taking part in the review into Will’s death and working alongside the NHS to come up with a plan and timeframe so that more families are supported and fewer have to ever experience the pain of losing a loved one to suicide when they’re receiving hospital care.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/funding-research-into-schizophrenia

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Speaking of Suicide hosting is supported by D and D Paving Ltd.

Speaking of Suicide is produced and presented by Adventurous Audio in Scotland