Former honey queen saves man from suicide on bridge in Sendling!

Former honey queen saves man from suicide on bridge in Sendling!

In a moving story from Munich, the former Bavarian honey queen Katharina Gegg (31) becomes a lifesaver. On a fateful night before Easter, when darkness lay over the Westpark pedestrian bridge, she achieved what would probably be difficult for many in this situation: she saved a young man from a hopeless situation. The 20-year-old, obviously drunk and with one leg over the railing, wanted to throw himself to his death. With her courageous intervention, Gegg prevented a desperate moment from becoming a tragedy. The passers-by who noticed the situation quickly informed the police and a friend of the man who was looking for him.

The young man, feeling abandoned and crying, then sat next to Gegg, who told him about her own frustrations. These honest words seemed to calm him down and helped defuse the situation. For her courageous and quick action, Katharina Gegg received praise from the police as well as a bouquet of flowers and a book about the history of the Munich police - recognition that she modestly rejected and instead emphasized her social stance. Thanks to her ability to intervene, the man was taken to a clinic for further observation and hopefully found the help he urgently needed.

Crisis support and suicide prevention

Katharina Gegg's story is not just an isolated case, but reflects an important social issue: suicide prevention. Diakonie is therefore intensively involved in this area and offers support for people who are in life crises. Their offering ranges from psychiatric crisis services to telephone pastoral care, which can be reached around the clock on the numbers 0800 111 0 111, 0800 111 0 222 and the Europe-wide number 116123. A central aspect of suicide prevention is to strengthen people's dignity. Support can be crucial, especially in times of uncertainty or existential fear.

There are many offers of help: the “number against grief” can be reached for children and young people on 116111 and for parents on 0800 111 0550. Special online advice such as MANO for young people aged 26 and over or the [U25] Germany offer for those under 25 are also geared towards the increase in psychological crises. These statements illustrate the need to talk openly about suicide and break taboos.

Crisis intervention in interaction

An important component of suicide prevention is crisis intervention. This method aims to assist people in acute psychosocial crises by providing short-term support. Particular attention is paid to building a trusting relationship and alleviating the stressful symptoms - be it by developing coping strategies or involving the social environment. As described on the Austrian suicide prevention portal website, crisis intervention can be provided by trained professionals such as psychologists or social workers.

Hopefully Katharina Gegg's courageous efforts and the commitment of organizations like Diakonie will mean that those affected are no longer left alone in crisis situations. Society has a duty to create supportive structures to promote people's well-being and to provide a space in which innermost fears can be discussed.

There are a variety of support services available for people looking for support. In times when desperation arises, it is important to know that help is never far away - be it through personal conversations or through services such as telephone counseling.

If you are in a crisis situation yourself or would like to support someone, do not hesitate to take advantage of these offers of help. Every journey in life is valuable and help is just a phone call away.

For more information please visit the following pages: tz.de, diakonie.de, and gesundheit.gv.at.