HE had always been open about depression.
The music Scott Hutchison made was deeply personal, emotional, raw, introspective. And it was that willingness to share, to sing though his heartbreak, to sing about the chemical imbalance in his brain, and the poor choices that the disease forced him to take, that saw him adored by fans, who found comfort in someone else being able to express what they too were feeling.
Aaron Dessner, who had produced Frightened Rabbit’s most recent album, Painting of a Panic Attack, said Hutchison “navigated the depths of despair with such power, beauty and poetry”.
In Floating In The Forth, a song from the band’s second album, Midnight Organ Fight, Hutchison even sang about contemplating ending his own life.
“Is there peace beneath, The roar of the Forth Road Bridge?” and “I float away down the Forth, into the sea, I think I’ll save suicide for another day”.
Yesterday, as it became apparent that Hutchison had died by suicide, his family encouraged fans to keep speaking about their own demons.
“Depression is a horrendous illness that does not give you any alert or indication as to when it will take hold of you.
“Scott battled bravely with his own issues for many years and we are immensely proud of him for being so open with his struggles.
“His willingness to discuss these matters in the public domain undoubtedly raised awareness of mental health issues and gave others confidence and belief to discuss their own issues.”
News of Hutchison’s death came just days after a new University of Glasgow study suggested one in nine young people in Scotland had attempted suicide.
Statistics released last year showed that the number of people who died by suicide in Scotland in 2016 had increased. In every other part of the UK, the figure had decreased.
A total of 728 people in Scotland died this way in 2016, a rise of 56 on the previous year.
That’s slightly more than two people ending their lives in Scotland every day.
According to ONS, the change was driven by an increase in the number of men taking their own lives, with the rate per 100,000 people going from 20.6 in 2015 to 22 last year. A smaller rise was recorded for women, from 7.9 in 2015 to 8.4.
Yesterday, the Samaritans reached out to Hutchison’s fans.
“You’re not alone in feeling like this. Many people struggle to cope at one point or another and going through a range of emotions during this time is common. You can contact Samaritans any time you like or you might also want to speak to someone else you trust like a family member, your GP or arrange to see a counsellor.”
Young Scot tweeted: “If you’ve been impacted by the news about Scott Hutchison and would like to talk to somebody, there are lots of people who are here to listen. Below are a list of helplines you can call to chat to someone about how you’re feeling.”
The First Minister tweeted: “An important message today and every day. There are always people to talk to and people who love you – no matter how dark the world can seem sometimes. Never forget that.”
In one of his last interviews, Hutchison told NME that people need to realise that vulnerability was not a weakness.
“I hate the idea that opening up is in any way emasculating. Even if it fucking is, who cares? It’s good to lay yourself a bit bare, and you’ll feel a bit better for it,” he said.
The Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123.
Breathing Space Scotland can be reached on 0800 83 85 87.
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