For when Chris Wills asks for help with his work He lost hope that the dark clouds that often covered him had passed.
Widely respected in the construction industry and loved by his wife Michelle and their two children, he hid his inner turmoil for fear of being seen as a failure.
As the project moved into a new phase, the devoted family man became stressed and started the project at home, but was hesitant to talk to the line manager.
Chris committed suicide on April 24, 2019.
On World Suicide Prevention Day, Michelle sends the message that while it may be too late for her family, others struggling with mental illness should seek help sooner.
“Chris’ story is about the need for early intervention,” he told .
In Chris’s case, it happened in a very short period of time, maybe three months.
“The main thing we noticed was that he wasn’t sleeping and his lack of sleep was getting worse and worse.
“If you can’t sleep, your brain can’t function properly.
Chris approached us early on and said that he was having a hard time at work. We tried to assure him that he was having a difficult time, but he was hesitant to tell his employer.
“In hindsight, I wish it had come out sooner.”
Michelle, a patron of the Mates in Mind charity, remembers being an avid Chelsea fan for herself and her children Chloe and Tommy.
He confided his concerns to his family, but they were not aware of the numbers cited by the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity.
Only now does Michelle, 47, from Luton, appreciate the difference Chris’ early intervention has made in her work.
“Our life together was perfect,” she says. “We have a great home and a great family and Chris has never had any mental health issues.
He lived for his family, he was friendly, funny and a Chelsea fan. He was an ordinary boy and a special man at the same time.
But Chris had what I call a crisis.
We have been married for 20 years. We have two beautiful children and I didn’t know that he had been suffering for the last 3 months or so.
“We all tried to support him, but all he had to say was his line manager.
Chris is a 48 year old man who has worked in the construction industry for 30 years. After starting the construction industry from school, he rose through the ranks.
“He was famous and worked at a high level.
“He was the breadwinner in the family. He would go out, work 12-hour shifts, come home and never complain.
“He didn’t want to come to work and say, ‘We have a problem with this project.
In their eyes he looked like a failure.
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Mates in Mind celebrates today’s global theme by encouraging businesses and individuals to have honest conversations about mental health.
According to the charity, breaking the silence and stigma that have held Chris back is essential to creating a safe and healthy workplace.
It’s important to have conversations before people’s stress comes to a head.
“Four weeks before Chris died, he contacted his employer and told him he was having a difficult time,” says Michelle.
“At the time, I thought he was gone and he was going to be fired for the speech. I tried to calm him down, but it was too late for him to think rationally.”
Michelle joined Chloe, 23, and Tom, 20, to discuss topics traditionally considered taboo to keep others out of the shadows of the workplace.
Mates in Mind, which has helped 650 organizations, exposes the internal war by displaying the messages it receives on screens outside its reading stations.
The larger context for this study is the recorded suicide rate, which saw a decline in male deaths in 2020, rising to pre-pandemic levels after coroner delays in investigations.
The 5,583 deaths recorded in 2021 are in line with figures for 2019 and 2018, figures from the Office for National Statistics show.
Samaritan hopes the government will come up with a new national prevention plan to bring down the “worrying” suicide rate, especially amid financial pressures caused by the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis.
Work roles are essential for Michelle.
“Chris’s story will resonate with so many people in the construction industry,” he says.
“Frankly, it’s okay to recognize the signs in your co-workers, co-workers, and in yourself.
“Since we first shared her story, people have reached out to me and said, ‘That was me.
But this is not just limited to construction. Every company wants to provide mental health awareness training to their employees.
“Especially after the pandemic, it should be at the top of his agenda.
“If it can happen to Chris, it can happen to anyone.”
To support these conversations, Mates in Mind has launched a Suicide Prevention Day Center for Employers, which provides resources and information to support important discussions for organizations and individuals.
To contact Samaritan, call toll-free 116 123 or click here.
Source: Metro
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