The Long Sleep

Having lost my brother to suicide, I know the heartache that comes when someone feels there’s no way forward. The Long Sleep is a vital resource that can help people through those darkest moments. The beautiful butterfly on the cover symbolises transformation and community, capturing the essence of reaching out and knowing we’re not alone. This book isn’t just a guide; it’s a lifeline – Shirley Ballas, head judge, Strictly Come Dancing, and ambassador for CALM and Suicide&CoThe Long Sleep is an extremely impressive, valuable and moving book. It’s really extraordinary how well the book pulls together the case studies and a huge range of research and wisdom. I am very glad to have it − sad to think how important it is that it should be read so widely, really by everyone. It is clearly a literal labour of love − and a family endeavour as well − and that warmth and care runs through it very clearly – Dr Xand van Tulleken, presenter, Horizon: Stopping Male SuicideThis is a powerful and moving book. It skilfully weaves together young people’s individual stories with the research evidence. There is something for everyone interested in youth suicide prevention in The Long Sleep. It has incredible breadth and depth which offers real insights into the mind of those who are suicidal, together with practical guidance on supporting young people, as well as challenging the myths around suicide. I highly recommend this book – Professor Rory O’Connor, Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory, University of Glasgow, author of ‘When It Is Darkest’Everything you have always wanted to know but may have never dared to ask is here with the young person’s voice and experiences running like a golden thread through these pages. If, like me, you believe that suicide prevention is everyone’s business, then this is everyone’s guide – Angela Samata, ambassador for SOBS and presenter of the BBC’s ‘Life After Suicide’The Long Sleep offers vital advice and support for people struggling with suicidal thoughts and for their loved ones wanting to find ways to help. The use of the real life voices of survivors of suicide is humbling and inspirational, and there is an important focus on vulnerable groups. I was really chuffed to see the coverage of high-risk communities like people in prisons which has always been a community of people I feel passionate about trying to support – Jason Flemyng, actor, Samaritans supporter and host of More Than My Past podcastThis book profoundly explores the most challenging aspects of being human: facing grief and transforming it into support for others. It provides an essential and compassionate resource for understanding and navigating the often unbearable pain of suicide and bereavement. Through the compelling personal accounts and practical guidance it offers, this book helps turn immense grief into a pathway for healing, ensuring that the suffering of those we’ve lost becomes a catalyst for deeper human connection and care. A truly moving and invaluable guide for anyone touched by loss – Dr Rachel Gibbons, chair of the working group on the impact of suicide on clinicians and vice chair of the psychotherapy faculty, the Royal College of PsychiatristsFor anyone interested in in understanding how a young person might get to the point of contemplating suicide, this book helps convey how death might hold an allure to some young people and how they may lack the coping skills to identify other solutions. Kate Hill’s revised text sensitively explores, through case material and published research, how young people can come to feel very trapped. It dispels key myths about suicide, providing reassurance to young people and those around them and an improved grasp of the complexities of this issue. – Professor Alexandra Pitman, UCL Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London; Patron of the Support After Suicide PartnershipThe Long Sleep is a powerful and deeply moving exploration of mental health, tackling the tough realities that so many individuals face but often feel unable to discuss. Kate Hill’s brave approach to the sensitive subject of mental illness, including suicide, challenges the taboo surrounding these critical issues. The book serves as an urgent reminder that by continuing to ignore these conversations, we miss the opportunity to truly understand the struggles many endure and, more importantly, to offer the support and empathy they desperately need. Though Kate is no longer with us to witness the impact of her work, her legacy will undoubtedly continue to resonate with and provide solace to many readers – Bronagh Loughlin, journalistThis is a book that you need to read. Then we can all be part of the conversation on how we tackle the challenges of suicide prevention. If we include the benefits of outdoor activity in that conversation, I now feel I could contribute − thanks to this book. This book is the guide on where and how to start the conversations, no matter your area of interest or expertise – Professor Geraint Florida-James, School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier UniversityThis book will make a significant contribution to improving our understanding of suicide among the young – Simon Armson, SamaritansA masterly exploration of one of the most important and pressing problems of our time – Professor Keith Hawton, CBE, Director of Oxford University’s Centre for Suicide Research

Kate Hill began this book after her brother’s death, aged twenty. Her book inspired further research at the University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry, where she had worked with the Centre for Suicide Research and the Samaritans. Kate Hill also edited the SIBBS (Support in Bereavement for Brothers and Sisters) quarterly newsletter and put together an information pack on bereavement from sudden death for the Samaritans. Kate Hill died unexpectedly of a brain bleed, in 1994.