An email arrived in my inbox last week that not only made me stop and think it also brought me to tears. Jenny Rayner wrote asking me to help support the charity she has created in her daughter’s name. Lucy Rayner was only 22 when she took her own life after a silent battle with depression. Lucy didn’t discuss how she felt inside and her death came as a huge shock to the family.
I can’t imagine how as a mother it must feel to lose your daughter in these circumstances but Jenny isn’t alone. Suicide is the leading cause of death in young people aged 20-34, and it’s on the rise. We are all spending time using social media but is it really social, are young people opening up about their feelings or are they hiding them behind glamorous photos?
The Kiss Off Depression campaign aims to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of depression and other mental health issues affecting young people. Jenny Rayner said ‘I feel social media plays a large part in why young people no longer talk to each other face to face. I want to encourage people to use it differently to remove the stigma attached to mental health, change how it is perceived by society and get millions of people talking about it. Lucy’s death came as a total shock to our family. We didn’t understand what depression was, how to recognise it or what to do to help her. We want to give a voice to every person in the UK who is suffering with a mental health issue and provide advice and support to friends and family members’.
If you are worried about a friend or relative or even one of your own children or grandchildren, Jenny shares her top tips on what to do if you think they may be suffering from depression.
The Lucy Rayner Foundation is a registered charity whose main objectives are to give a voice to every person in the UK who is suffering with a mental health issue and to raise awareness of the physical and mental health of persons suffering from depression in particularly but not exclusively young people. Funds raised by the Foundation will go towards providing more opportunities for young people to get help and support including running centres where people suffering from depression can come in and talk to someone who understands what they’re going through.
Lucy was fond of wearing red lipstick and this has become the symbol of the Lucy Rayner Foundation and the Kiss Off Depression campaign. Together with Jenny Rayner, I urge you to take a selfie wearing Red Lipstick, post it to the Kiss Off Depression Facebook Page and make a donation by texting KISS05 to 70070 with £ (the amount you want to donate) and together we may be able to stop another family going through the same heartbreak.