Suicide Prevention at Universities: A Bereaved Dad's call for change
Hellmuth Weich from Northumberland lost his son Desmond to suicide in 2022. He's backing calls for improvements in the system following a petition being handed to Parliament.
Last updated 4th May 2023
100 students take their own lives every year in the UK. The campaign #ForThe100 has called on the Government to introduce legislation which would mean universities must have a duty of care to better protect students. Having reached over 100,000 signatures in the petition, Parliament will be debating on this in June.
Desmond Weich, 20 years old from Northumberland, was a student in Leeds when he took his own life in January 2022.
His family say he was always the "soul of the party", but spoke about the struggles Desmond faced through the pandemic and isolation.
"That did have a big impact... we tried to get help for him and struggled through the NHS to get the appropriate help. We also paid privately to get the right support for him."
His dad, Hellmuth is also an Assistant Professor at Northumbria University:
"I understand as an academic in social work and also teaching on the counselling programme, that these professionals have a huge case load. In some cases, the waiting list can be up to 18 months.... A young person can't wait 18 months. That's why parents are paying privately for the help."
To get the right help, his parents fetched him from Leeds and advocated to get appropriate help in place. Once Desmond received help from the NHS and a therapist was in place, he returned to Leeds, where he was studying chemical engineering.
"We thought things were improving..."
"...On the Thursday, he went out with his friends that evening. Then on the Friday the police came to our house and shared the message."
"You just don't know... how a person on the verge of suicide looks... what they're feeling inside."
Desmond's sister Zelna, has raised over £17,000 for CALMS, whilst his friends ran the York marathon in Desmond's honour.
Dr Weich says the support offered should consider the impact that suicide has not only on the family, but also the friends, and universities can play a key role in this..
"About a month and a half before Desmond lost his life to suicide, one of his friends lost his life to suicide. We really need to think about this in a much more contextual fashion.
Dr Weich, Desmond's Dad, explains a more holistic view of supporting mental health for university students. One which creates a foundation to include the family, friends as well as professionals involved.
"There is a network, which we as a university should have a responsibility for....If it happens once, we need to look at the group of friends and the whole community around them.""
"Not so long a go, they were young people in a family home. And now for some reason, at 18 we decide they don't need support anymore. They have to make these life decisions on their own."
He explained how none of the family were informed when Desmond had been referred to an emergency team.
"The GP made contact with the Emergency Duty Team... they made an appointment with Desmond, and saw him the same day.... But at no point here was the family involved."
"If we knew that that was the case, we would have been down in Leeds immediately." "Not so long a go, they were young people in a family home. And now for some reason, at 18 we decide they don't need support anymore. They have to make these life decisions on their own."
Dr Weich says that the method of creating, and involving a support structure means that a student would have to state whether they don't want the information to be shared, rather than raising the point themselves if they do.
"We should be asking why shouldn't the family be included.... They can give support."
Hellmuth says that universities, like Northumbria, have taken steps toward becoming suicide safe.
As both an Assistant Professor and a dad, Hellmuth tells us that information sharing and collaboration can play a big part in care for students. Having student led support can also be developed, to also put focus on young men's mental health.
The Government will debate on creating a statutory legal duty of care for students, next month. The Government will debate on creating a statutory legal duty of care for students, next month.
If you are looking for mental health support, you can find help on MIND and also Samartians, who can be called on 116 123