Secrecy​

Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. A secret is something that we don’t want certain people to know; while at the same time we may share it with certain other individuals. However, a secret remains a secret only when no one wants to talk about it.
 
When it comes to suicide, why is there so much secrecy surrounding the act and people who have died by suicide?

Silence

The more we choose to keep silent about it, the more difficult it becomes to effectively address the problem.
 
SPEAK seeks to address the collective silence around suicide by creating supportive spaces where people come together to understand what is suicide; why do some people to choose this method of dying and how can each of us do our bit to address this problem. Because every voice matters…

Shame

There is a strong sense of shame associated with silence; people who die by suicide and survivors of family loss.  We rather not talk about suicide; of someone who died by suicide.  We are deeply ashamed to admit this. Instead we tend to create “acceptable” explanations of the cause of death that we choose to tell others. If a loved one dies of suicide and someone asks us about the cause of death, we often tend to say, “It was a heart attack” or some other “natural” cause of death that is socially acceptable. 
 
SPEAK seeks to create supportive spaces where collectively we can talk about the sense of shame associated with the act and people who have died this way. We do not seek to glorify suicide; nor do we condemn it. People who die of suicide are not heroes; nor cowards; nor criminals.
 
Suicide is not a crime. It is public health crisis. It is a mental health issue that is treatable and preventable.  

Stigma

A stigma is a mark of disgrace associated with a person or act.  The act of suicide and death by suicide are associated with intense social stigma and disapproval. The secrecy, shame and silence around suicide is responsible for the stigma of suicide. We need to stop judging the act of suicide and persons who die of suicide as “good/bad” or “sin/punishment”.
 
SPEAK seeks to create spaces to change the language we use to talk about suicide; to create shifts in mindsets. This can happen only with the language of love and compassion; not judgment; ignorance and fear.