“Are you okay? Just talk” – those are the five words one Dumbarton man has said brought him back from the brink of suicide and helped him transform his life.
Graeme Alexander was standing on the Erskine Bridge ready to take his own life when a police officer reached out to him.
Years of battling silently with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following the suicide of his friend had brought Graeme to the bridge.
The brave 32-year-old says those five words will stay with him and have guided him on his road to recovery.
Now, in a bid to smash the stigma surrounding mental health, he is using them to help people like himself.
Six months ago Graeme, who lives in Milton, launched a clothing company, Unsubtle Skulls, to help him spread his message – using the four words that saved his life as his company’s motto.
The eye-catching illustrations shine a light on different mental health conditions and Graeme hopes they will spark conversations among family, friends and even strangers.
He told the Lennox: “Hearing ‘Are you okay? Just talk’ – when I was on that bridge – saved me.
“I was there and ready to take my life, and if that police officer hadn’t been there to say those words to me, I really think I would have done it.”
Graeme suffered flashbacks and PTSD after he witnessed his friend’s suicide and tried in vain to save him.
He has now been able to turn his life around and wants to help others like himself.
He added: “My hope is that if someone wears one of the designs, someone will ask them where they got it and what it represents.
“That then opens up the conversation and then you have two people openly talking about mental health.
“I had struggled on my own with PTSD for so long, never speaking to anyone about what I was going through.
“The more I tried to ignore it, the more it kept creeping in.
“Had I just spoke to someone at the time I would have been able to get help and not ended up where I did.”
To help bring his idea to life, Graeme reached out to his old school friend Stephen Blackmore.
Talented artist Stephen, who lives in Houston and is known as Bmore Sketchy, is the man behind the designs.
Stephen’s life has also been touched by mental health as his wife Leanne has Bipolar Disorder.
Stephen, 32, said: “It is such an important thing to talk about, particularly this year as so many people’s mental
health has been impacted by the pandemic.”
Unsubtle Skulls has already attracted support from famous faces who are advocates for mental health.
Graeme has already been working with TV and radio presenter Laura Whitmore and heavy-weight world champion boxer Tyson Fury – both who regularly speak publicly about their own struggles.
He is hoping to work with Sophie Hinchliffe, the famous cleanfluencer known as Mrs Hinch, who also shares her experiences of anxiety with her 3million followers.
His hard work is also helping valuable organisations such as Mind and Samaritans, with 10 percent of the proceeds of each sale being donated to the charities.
Graeme has already sold 1000 designs, which he says is far more than he ever expected.
He added: “If these designs can help someone who was like me and help them open up and speak about their struggles then I have succeeded.
“If I can just help save one life, that is good enough for me.”
To view the designs available, visit Unsubtle Skulls on Facebook.
