Pat’s suicide prevention work award

Pat’s suicide prevention work award

23 October 2024

A DOWNPATRICK man who was instrumental in establishing the Suicide Down to Zero organisation has been presented with a major award.

Pat McGreevy recently received an accolade from Livingworks Canada who developed the Word Health Organisation-recognised Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training.

A retired psychiatric nurse, Pat has been a key figure with Suicide Down to Zero (SDZ) which was set up in 2014 to campaign for an end to suicide across the district.

He was presented with a gold award to mark his outstanding contribution to suicide prevention and now in the autumn of his life, Pat has reflected on the progress made in this particular field, but believes there is so much more to be done and a need to talk about suicide.

“SDZ was founded on the belief that there is no acceptable level of suicide which is a preventable phenomenon, not an inevitable one,” said Pat.

“It is a public health issue not a mental health issue as while mental illness and suicide are related, they certainly are not synonymous. The only way suicide can be prevented is if it is talking about openly and directly.”

Pat said simply telling people to get help is not enough. 

“We must be trained to identify when a person is in suicide crisis and promptly provide proper care,” he explained.

“It is important that a more active stance and a greater sense of urgency is brought to the issue.

Every year in Northern Ireland we lose over 200 people to suicide. 

“The deaths recorded for 2023 have not been officially confirmed but NISRA has indicated that there are likely  to be 221, with US research indicating that up to 135 people are affected by each suicide.”

Pat said SDZ believed everyone can contribute to suicide prevention whether it’s by finding out more about it, attending awareness sessions or coming forward for specific suicide prevention skills training.

Pilot

Next month, the charity’s development workers will begin to pilot a new seven element model in  schools, sports clubs and workplaces to enable them to become suicide down to zero environments.

The elements are leadership and governance, mental health and wellbeing promotion, suicide awareness and prevention, training, suicide intervention and ongoing community support, healing after suicide and evaluation.

If the new initiative proves successful, SDZ plans to spread the approach to include youth clubs, carers groups and community associations.

A so-called ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) trainer since 2003, Pat has delivered 131 two-day workshops to 2,567 people to date, with dates for upcoming workshops over the next four posted shortly on the charity’s Facebook page.

Pat and the SDZ team play an invaluable role at the heart of the community with the charity’s board members including, suicide attempt survivors, suicide prevention activists and those with a professional background in helping bringing together a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience alongside specific beliefs about suicide and its prevention.

SDZ believes that the only acceptable target for suicide deaths is zero and highlights the need for a major shift in how suicide is viewed. 

Suicide is acknowledged globally as a public health phenomenon that is preventable with SDZ wanting suicide to be viewed as almost entirely preventable, not inevitable.

The organisation believes everyone can make a contribution to saving lives from suicide by raising awareness, being trained in suicide first-aid, or helping those who have survived a suicide attempt or helping a family who is suffering the loss of a loved one to suicide.

In 2019, SDZ successfully campaigned for Newry Mourne and Down Council to adopt a suicide down to zero approach.

The charity says suicide is a public health issue not a mental health one and the only way to prevent it is to talk about it, openly and directly, explaining that telling suicidal people to get help is not enough.