Cork: A pioneering pilot programme to help young people develop listening and communication skills has been launched by the Southern Health Board (SHB). It is part of its strategy to cope with the growing problem of suicide among young people in the community.
The SHB's "Peer Support and Education" initiative is the first of its kind in the country and was completed by a group of eight young people in Midleton in east Cork, an area which has seen a number of suicides in recent years.
The initiative was developed by SHB mental health resource officer Brenda Crowley and National Training and Development Institute (NTDI) psychologist Mary Boylan.
The course involves a class one evening a week over a five-week period.
Local Midleton GP, Dr Brian Jordan, who was instrumental in bringing the group together, said the impetus for setting up the group came from the very real and tragic experience of suicide in the local community in east Cork.
"A number of young people who had been directly affected by suicide contacted me with a view to doing something in the locality around suicide prevention.
"They had lost family and friends to suicide and wanted to do something to help them understand the problem better and explore how they might possibly prevent other young people taking their own lives," he explained.
"I contacted the SHB to discuss with Brenda Crowley what we might put in place. Out of this, the peer support training came about," said Dr Jordan.
The course, which is based on a similar model used in Canada in both the school and prison systems, was piloted in Midleton because of the interest expressed by the young people there.
Last year, some 73 people took their own lives in the SHB region comprising Cork city, Cork county and Kerry. Some 26 males and 12 females committed suicide in Cork county while the comparable figures in Cork city were 20 and six and in Kerry were seven and two.
The latest study on parasuicide in the SHB area shows that 40 per cent of those who attempted to take their own lives were under 25, while Cork city was found to have one of the highest rates of male parasuicide in Europe.
Ms Crowley said: "Too many lives are affected by suicide and the SHB has looked at the most appropriate and sensitive ways to address this problem.
"As a board, we are very serious about helping people affected by suicide and this training looks at helping young people to help other young people who may not be able to solve their problems without some help or support.
"This particular group have all experienced the tragedy of suicide, yet they were so open and receptive to the ideas we put forward. It was a privilege to work with them."
The young participants are equally positive about the project. Aidan, who contributed to the course, said it helped him listen to friends, families and work colleagues in a more purposeful way.
"What the course has enabled me to do is to really listen to someone.
"It might sound obvious but we did a lot of role play during the course, working on different scenarios and all of us were amazed at the difference that really listening to someone or asking a question at the right time, could make," said Aidan.
"I suppose the other really powerful message was that we are not there to solve people's problems but to listen to them and perhaps get them thinking about options available to them," he added.
Fellow course participant Gillian was equally concerned about getting involved and she too has found it to be a positive experience.
"Everyone who did the course has been affected by suicide, so we are all very aware of how suicide affects, not just immediate family and friends, but an entire community. We felt quite strongly about being proactive in some way."
The SHB has introduced a range of services as part of its suicide strategy including the provision of a freephone, Suicide Helpline (1800 742-745), which is open seven days a week from 6 p.m. to 1 p.m, for people who are feeling suicidal or people who are concerned about a friend or family member.
The SHB also has 50 trained professionals working in two- person bereavement support teams who work with families and people in the community who have been affected by suicide.
This service is tailored to suit individual situations. The support team can be contacted on 087-7986944.