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There is not a single family across this island that has not
been affected by the challenge of mental health issues. It is now accepted that
one in seven adults will experience mental health issues in any given year.
Allied to this is the issue of suicide. It is now believed
that the real figures for suicide across the island of Ireland are as high as
1,000 people annually. Under-reporting
of suicide has always been a problem. Often deaths resulting from road
accidents and drowning are impossible to classify.
The reality is
that all sections and all generations of our society are affected, from the
very young to the very old, and in rural and urban areas. Self harming is also a huge issue in Irish
society today. Thousands are admitted to hospitals every year as a result of
self-harm which in many cases go unreported.
The impact on families and communities is huge. Most are left wondering,
Why? They are left asking what they could have done to prevent the death of a
loved one. The emotional trauma is enormous. In the aftermath of a suicide,
especially of a young person, the potential of others also taking their own
lives is high. I still remember visiting the wake homes of four young victims from
the Upper Springfield area in west Belfast who had all died from suicide within
days of each other.
There
is no single or easy explanation for someone deciding to take their life. In my
experience the reasons can be many – mental health problems, loneliness,
alcohol and substance misuse, an absence of hope for the future, can all
contribute to suicide.
There is also a clear and direct correlation between deprivation and
suicide. In every statistical analysis that I have read areas of high
unemployment and deprivation suffer greater levels of suicide. At the same time
suicide is no respecter of class or age or gender.
Last month the investigative on-line news website The Detail reported
that there were 318 suicides registered in the North in 2015. This was, it
said, the highest annual death rate in 45 years and it means that on average 6
people every day are taking their own lives in the North each year. 93 of those
who died by suicide lived within the Belfast Health Trust area. Deprived
areas in the six counties suffered from suicide rates that are three times
higher than the least deprived areas.
Alarmingly
The Detail reported that there had been a total of 7,697 suicides (5,666 were
males) from the beginning of 1970 to the end of 2015. This is more than twice
the numbers of citizens killed during the decades of war.
12
years ago I was the MP for west Belfast which had, along with north Belfast the
highest suicide rates in the north. In October 2004 I lead a delegation of Sinn
Fein and community activists to meet with the British Direct Rule Minister
Angela Smith. Families bereaved by suicide were leaders in this endeavour. Amongst
the proposals we tabled was the creation of a regional suicide prevention
strategy and an all-Ireland strategy.
A
series of meetings followed with the Department of Health, the Children's Commissioner
in the north, and with the North and West Health & Social Services Trust.
Protests were also held and on one occasion I wrote to Mary Harney, the Dublin
Minister for Health, requesting a meeting to discuss a suicide prevention
strategy for the island. I’m still waiting a response to that letter.
The
intensive lobby in the North succeeded in 2006 in securing the establishment of
the ‘Protect Life’ suicide prevention strategy and action plan. Since then over
£50 million has been spent on suicide prevention. Undoubtedly many lives have
been saved but the recent statistics are evidence that much more needs to be
done.
Suicide is also a major issue in the South. In June the Mental Health
Commission published its annual report. The State's mental health policy, A
Vision for Change, has been in place since 2006 and the Mental Health
Commission undertook a strategic review as part of developing a new strategic
plan for 2016-2018.
The commission's report illustrates how much remains to be done. This
includes a need for independent monitoring of the Vision for Change policy
which is now ten years old.
There are also
significant issues around the lack of funding. The current level of funding for
mental health is still less than the 8.24% target based on the 2005 figures
envisaged in A Vision for Change. The staffing levels are about 75% of the
Vision for Change recommended number.
According to the Mental Health Commission's report, there is a serious
deficiency in the development and provision of recovery oriented mental health
services. This concept, which is about aiding a person's recovery rather than
managing the illness, is crucial. The report also states that the reason for
this is the combined effect of poor manpower planning, lack of change in professional
training schemes, cuts in public expenditure, delays in recruitment and a
shortage of appropriately trained staff.
The most
recent statistics available for suicide in the South claim say that 459 persons
- 368 males and 91 females - took their own lives in 2014.
In
the North a new 'Protect Life 2' strategy is expected to be issued for
consultation next month with final publication of the strategy being due in
2017. To be successful it needs to reflect the experience of those bereaved
families and community and voluntary groups campaigning on suicide. It also
needs to be properly resourced.
12
years after the commencement of the campaign for a suicide prevention strategy
for the North and ten years after A Vision for Change, the need for an all-island
suicide prevention strategy is even greater than ever. Such a strategy
needs to be properly funded and coordinated and bring together all of the
statutory agencies, including health and education. Voluntary and community
groups cannot provide this. Governments must do so.
Useful Numbers
Lifeline
is the crisis response helpline service in the North for people who are
experiencing distress or despair. It can be contacted confidentially on 0808
808 8000.
The
Samaritans can be contacted by telephone on 116 123 or emailjo@samaritans.org
Suicide
Down to Zero can be contacted on suicidedowntozero0000@gmail.com
Pieta
House Freecall 1800 247 247. Or if you can simply text HELP to 51444.
Public Initiative For The Prevention Of
Suicide And Self- Harm (PIPS) is a support service for people who need
intervention or for those who have survived suicide loss. It can be contacted
at T 086 193 3074: W www.pipsproject.com
Save Our Sons and Daughters (Sosad) can be
contacted at 041 984 8754 and w www.sosadireland.ie
The H.S.E. Suicide Prevention Helpline Free
Phone 1800 222 282
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