THE daughter of a man who took his own life has spoken out about the heartache of losing her dad following a battle with his mental health.
Kevin Clark passed away one year ago today, aged 49.
The Castlemilk man had suffered from mental health issues for years, explained his daughter Jasmine, who spoke out ahead of the one-year anniversary of her dad’s death.
The 25-year-old said: “I wasn’t feeling well that afternoon and I had went for a nap. My sister had phoned me, and she was just screaming down the phone. I was telling her to calm down because I didn’t know what she was trying to tell me.
“She told me, and my heart just sank. I could feel it beating out of my chest from the minute I left my boyfriend’s house until I got to my own house.
“I’ve just been waiting for the day of the anniversary to come, knowing what I was doing at the time and what he was doing and the fact I couldn’t do anything about what happened. It’s just horrible reliving it.”
Jasmine, who has a younger sister Justine, and an older brother Craig, described her dad as an all-round nice guy, who loved to wind everybody up.
She added: “He would be up for helping anyone. My mum June works at a local youth club and if they needed any garden maintenance, he would always be up for helping out.
“I can’t even put it into words how much I miss him. You just wake up every day thinking about them and thinking about the situation and what you could have done differently, even though we done everything right.
“We phoned NHS 24, we took him to the doctors, and we were enquiring about getting him put into a secure unit for a wee spell. You just think you’re on the right track. We done stuff to try and prevent it happening, but it didn’t work.
“My dad suffered from mental health issues from before I was born. As we got older there would be a couple of outbursts,” Jasmine explained.
“One night my sister phoned me and said my dad had a breakdown and I went up to the house to speak with him. He was saying ‘I don’t want to be here’.
“I was at my wits’ end and I ended up phoning NHS 24. I was saying that my dad was telling me that he wanted to take his own life, and they said that unless he spoke to them on the phone, they couldn’t do anything.”
The next day, Kevin attended at an emergency doctor appointment, along with Jasmine and Justine.
Jasmine, who works as a carer, said: “He basically laid everything out on the table, even in front of me and my sister, which was hard for him to do, but I was glad that he was voicing it. But I just felt like they didn’t do enough. People in that situation need therapy, they need counselling. They need somebody to speak to them, they can’t just be given tablets.
“We’re just devastated. Of course my dad’s death was at the beginning of the pandemic, but I just feel like there wasn’t enough support. Even if the pandemic didn’t affect my dad, it’s affected everybody trying to seek help.”
In honour of Kevin, his best friend Paddy Kerr completed a 100-mile cycle, from Carlisle to Glasgow, along with his friend John Garden, both from Castlemilk.
John’s nephews Jack, 24 and Ewan, 22, from Nottingham, also joined the pair in the 100-mile cycle, that took them a total of 10 hours.
More than £1,600 has been raised that will go towards Castlemilk-based mental health campaign LD - Lets Talk – run by thirty-six-year-old Derek Reid.
Jasmine said: “Following my dads’s death, Derek messaged me and said that if we needed anything he was just on the other end of the phone. At the time, there was several people who had took their own lives in Castlemilk. It was really nice of him to reach out.
“Groups like LD – Let’s Talk bring the communities together. I went out walking with them for the first time recently and you just feel much more comfortable knowing that it’s not just you going through this.
“For people to attend, it takes so much courage and Derek is doing an amazing job bringing everybody together.”
Derek, who set up the group following several deaths to suicide in the community, runs indoor and outdoor meetings in order to get people to open up about how they’re feeling.
They are open to anyone including those suffering from anxiety or depression or to anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide.
Derek said: “I’ve got my own football academy; I’ve got four kids and I work in a school myself. When I was setting it up, I had to make sure I had the time to go through with it and give people the time and help that they need. We’ve been going for a couple of years now, and it really is helping.
“Anybody from anywhere can attend. As much as I want to help people in my own community, I want to help people from everywhere.”
As part of the campaign, colourful benches have been placed in schools and across the community to encourage early intervention. They provide a place for children to open up and highlight that talking about your feelings is good.
With the money raised from the cycle, a bench will be placed in memory of Kevin. The group will also be able to purchase a few more to be placed within schools across the community.
For more information about LD - Lets Talk, which is based in the Birgidale Complex, visit the Facebook page.
A spokesman for the Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership said: “We would like to express our sincere sympathies to the family of Mr Clark as they to continue to mourn his loss. We recognise the importance of accessible and person-centred services for those people struggling with their mental health – and those who support and care for them.
“While we cannot comment on individual patients, we would urge anyone experiencing mental ill-health to seek support.
“In the last year, we have established two Mental Health Assessment Units to provide support for those experiencing a mental health crisis. These facilities provide specialist support, in an appropriate setting, and accept referrals from hospital Emergency Departments, NHS 24 and partner organisations.
“From this month, referrals can also be made from GPs in the south of Glasgow and, from next month, more widely across the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.”
Kevin Stewart, Minister for Wellbeing and Social Care, added: “We extend our sincere condolences to Ms Clark for her immeasurable loss.
“Every suicide is a tragedy with far reaching effects on those left behind.
“It is important for people to know there is help available at all times. Anyone in need of support can contact their GP or call the NHS 24 helpline. People can also find support online, through NHS Inform and on the Samaritans and Breathing Space websites.
“We are prioritising our work on suicide prevention with our National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group. The group recently launched new guidance to help communities develop local suicide prevention approaches.
“We are also working with Primary Care partners to improve and increase capacity for mental health assessment, care and support within GP settings. This will ensure that there is a clear pathway to mental health services for those who need them.”
Where to get help:
SAMH gives mental health information and can direct you to local services. Call 0141 530 1000 or email enquire@samh.org.uk
If you need to talk, call Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87 or see www.breathingspace.scot
Families who need support after being bereaved by suicide can contact PETAL on 01698 324 502 or email info@petalsupport.com
Call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or email the charity at jo@samaritans.org. Lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year.
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