Suicide support boost

Suicide support boost

12 March 2025

THE district’s leading suicide charity has welcomed Stormont Health Minister Mike Nesbitt’s assertion that reducing the number of people taking their lives in Northern Ireland to zero is the only acceptable measure.

His comments have been warmly welcomed by Suicide Down to Zero (SDZ) which for over a decade has been campaigning for this to be the Department of Health and Stormont administration’s recognised position.

Mr Nesbitt said last week that zero suicides was the only acceptable goal of suicide prevention efforts.

He said while a newly calculated baseline for a 10% reduction target would set as a ‘realistic’ goal, he conceded zero was the only acceptable measure.

SDZ is a Downpatrick-based charity and has consistently made the case that reducing suicide deaths to zero is the only way forward.

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

The charity insists that suicide is a public health issue not a mental health issue and while mental illness and suicide are related, they certainly are not synonymous. 

It’s estimated that every year in Northern Ireland over 200 people lose their life  to suicide but SDZ believes 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.

Last year, the charity’s development workers began to pilot a new model in  schools, sports clubs and workplaces to enable their representatives 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.

The SDZ team plays 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.

A spokesperson said: “SDZ believes that the only acceptable target for suicide deaths is zero and we welcome the recent comments from Mr Nesbitt.

“Suicide is acknowledged globally as a public health phenomenon that is preventable, not inevitable.

“We believe 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.