I'm Ashley, a UK-based journalist, producer and broadcaster, and in the past 10 years I've been

affected personally by suicide.

A close relative and a friend both took their own lives, and my partner also attempted suicide twice.

It's been a roller coaster decade in which I have questioned regularly

whether there was anything I could have done to prevent these tragedies or

whether given the huge numbers of people taking their own lives worldwide it's a much

bigger picture issue and more about the societies we live in.

I've joined campaigns aimed at encouraging people to watch out for signs someone might be contemplating

suicide and done my bit to help support my partner rebuild their life.

But perhaps the biggest revelation for me has been finding out there are countries around the world

where attempting suicide is treated as an offense with the threat of jail terms and fines and a criminal record.

The World Health Organization, among others, says this makes their situation worse.

Those people affected rarely talk about their experiences.

They often dent talk about their experiences, but in this program some of them have.

He may find some of their accounts disturbing. I am Ashley Byrne and this is the documentary Suicide Silent Survivors

from the BBC World Service.

Anyone who's ever been close to someone who's attempted suicide knows there's

often a complex web of emotions which can lead to someone getting so low that they

want to take their own life. No story is the same of

course but most people have a couple of things in common and that's isolation and a

deep feeling of hopelessness. I know from my own experience that talking to people who feel suicidal

can often prevent them from going through with it. But of course for people all over the world,

...