Who can you call when your drug-addled son is out of control and wants to die?

Brighid McLaughlin looks at the vital work the charity Social Ground Force does in helping addicts in crisis

Stock photo

Brighid McLaughlin

Picture this: it’s the middle of a stormy night in rural Ireland, and your adored 20-year-old son is threatening to throw himself off the roof of your home. And it’s not the first time. A few moments earlier he smashed his fist through a triple-glazed window and cut both arms from top to bottom with a shard of glass. You, your husband, your younge r children and a neighbour can’t get him to come down. You ring a suicide helpline and get an answering service. It’s a complete nightmare.

There is a chilling name for this horrifying, unthinkable, critical moment. It’s called ‘the Death Gap’, the span of time between the sufferer or his family making the call for help and actually getting help.