Personal experiences of contacting Samaritans
"They were there, when I had pushed everyone else away"
A few of the people that call Samaritans tell us their stories, and how we helped.
Things piled up for Des - he was in debt, going through a divorce and working really long hours. He felt like a failure and needed someone to talk to.
After a nervous breakdown, losing his job and then his girlfriend, David was really struggling when someone gave him the Samaritans telephone number.
When Penny's relationship was breaking down, she had to stay put because of the mortgage. She called Samaritans, which helped her find a way to get through it.
Matt started taking ecstasy as an escape from a life he didn’t know what to do with. After speaking to Samaritans, he worked out what he had to do to get out of the rut he was in, and got some help.
Joyce nearly lost her life, but at her lowest ebb, she found refuge in Samaritans and now, far from unhappy, her marriage to Brian, 68, remains strong.
When she was a teenager Becky's dad killed himself. In the years that followed she got into a bad relationship which caused her to self-harm, and in a subsequent relationship suffered a miscarriage. Now when she needs to talk, Becky knows she can call Samaritans.
Duncan tried to end his life in his late-20s because he felt he had nowhere to turn.
Anthony called Samaritans when his wife left him. He never saw it coming, and found himself a single dad to his 3 young children.
After suffering bullying at school, a broken home, and an abusive relationship, Emma began to suffer from depression and almost didn't make it out the other side. She explains how she coped, and the work she now does to fight the stigma around mental health.
Your story
Have you contacted Samaritans before? If so, we’d be very grateful if you would share your story.
