World Suicide Prevention Day: Changing the Narrative
A Personal Note
This trienniel’s theme for World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10th, is one that hits incredibly close to my heart: Change the Narrative.
For me, suicide is not an abstract issue. I have walked alongside depression myself. I have lost family members, loved ones, and colleagues to suicide over the years. And I have seen, both personally and professionally, how silence, shame, and stigma can deepen suffering when what’s most needed is compassion, connection, and care.
Why the Narrative Matters
For too long, the way we’ve spoken about suicide has been shaped by distance:
Stigma that silences.
Language that shames.
Systems that look away.
The old narrative says suicide is unspeakable. That depression is weakness. That those struggling should be strong enough to carry on quietly.
But every time we allow those narratives to stand, we isolate the very people who most need to feel seen.
Changing the Narrative Together
The invitation of this year’s theme is powerful: to tell new stories. To speak about suicide in ways that open doors instead of closing them. To replace shame with empathy. To honor grief without reinforcing silence.
Changing the narrative means:
Speaking openly about mental health at work and at home.
Listening without judgment when someone shares their pain.
Seeing strength in vulnerability rather than weakness.
Building systems of care where asking for help is safe and supported.
For Humanitarian Workplaces
In our sector, where stress, trauma, and loss are woven into daily reality, the need to change the narrative is especially urgent. Colleagues may be carrying invisible battles. Leaders may not realize how their silence about well-being reinforces stigma.
Changing the narrative here means modeling humanity in the midst of humanitarian work: naming depression, burnout, and despair as real…and treatable. It means creating cultures where people can ask for help without fear that their credibility, role, or future will be put at risk.
A Gentle Invitation
If you are struggling right now, please know: you are not alone. You are not weak. You are not a burden. You are human, and you are worthy of care, connection, and support.
If you have lost someone, my heart is with you. I know the grief that lingers long after. I know the questions that never fully resolve. And I know the importance of telling the story differently…so that silence doesn’t win again.
Together, Let’s Change the Narrative
On this, I know I join with so many others in saying: suicide is not unspeakable. Depression is not shameful. Reaching for help is not weakness.
Changing the narrative starts small… in the words we use, the conversations we open, the compassion we extend. But those small shifts can save lives.
Holding space with care and solidarity…here’s to staying whole, together,
~ Kate
Thanks for reading The Olive Pages: Fieldnotes on care, clarity, and staying whole
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KRC provides coaching, psychosocial support, and organizational consulting to humanitarian professionals and mission-driven organizations worldwide. Based in lived experience and trauma-aware care, our work helps clients navigate burnout, moral injury, organizational change, and career transitions — while staying human in the process.