Progress made in suicide prevention

PROGRESS HAS been made in the area of suicide prevention in the last year, it was stated at a conference yesterday.

The head of the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) Geoff Day said he was pleased with aspects of the national strategy to reduce suicide which are currently being implemented and have been rolled out in the last 12 months.

It included a high-profile national mental health awareness campaign which began in October and the training of almost 100 ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) personnel who have in turn trained over 5,000 professionals and community leaders.

He said that specialist response services are now in place in many of the country's casualty departments for those who present following deliberate self harm.

"Reach Out" - the National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention began in 2005. The Government has set a target of a reduction of 10 per cent in the suicide rate in Ireland by 2010 with a 10 per cent reduction in repeated self-harm incidents by 2016.

Mr Day, who was speaking at the third annual suicide prevention forum in Dublin, revealed that the NOSP is finalising a review of the services for those bereaved by suicide which will be presented to people working in the area at the start of next month.

It is expected to recommend a New Zealand model for suicide bereavement services which is being developed and which sets out guidelines for the training of bereavement counsellors and the approach to counselling.

The theme of this year's forum, listening to young people's perspectives on mental health and suicide prevention, was chosen because Ireland has the fifth highest rate of youth suicide in Europe with men under the age of 35 accounting for 40 per cent of all suicides.

Representatives from a range of youth groups including Foróige, Dáil na nÓg and Young Social Innovators attended the forum, while a presentation entitled Feeling Low Let Someone Know, was given by students from St Joseph's Secondary School, Rochfortbridge, Co Westmeath.

The Minister with responsibility for disability and mental health Dr Jimmy Devins told the forum it was important to "foster a culture where people in distress, at whatever stage in their lives, won't hesitate to seek help.

"The promotion of positive mental health along with early detection of mental ill-health is key to the personal development of our young people," he said.