More help is required for suicide prevention

More help is required for suicide prevention

2 March 2016

THE need for enhanced services and support for dealing with the issue of suicide in the Downpatrick and greater South Down area was discussed at a recent meeting at Stormont.

Local suicide prevention campaigner, Pat McGreevy, met with a delegation of Alliance politicians including the party’s South Down Assembly election candidate Patrick Brown, who organised the meeting.

Councillor Brown said the purpose was to highlight a “suicide down to zero” approach which many believe the Department of Health should be adopting to address the number of people taking their own lives.

He said such a campaign would be similar to the ‘sharing the road to zero’ campaign being spearheaded by the Department for Regional Development to reduce road deaths.

“There is simply nowhere near enough support and funding for a public awareness and outreach projects in the field of suicide prevention,” argued Councillor Brown.

“This is particularly worrying given the high suicide figures in the South Down area, particularly in my local area of Ballynahinch. More needs to be done by decision makers to tackle this.”

Strangford MLA Kieran McCarthy, who is a member of the Stormont Health Committee, said suicide and mental health issues are extremely important, arguing that to date both have been regarded as the Cinderella of the health service and do not command the high profile or indeed funding other aspects of public health might enjoy. 

“I am delighted that highly motivated members of my party are working with local experts to raise suicide to the very top of the agenda,” he declared. “The Bamford review of mental health has been greatly hampered by the lack of funding and now is the time to insist the Department of Health puts its money where its mouth is.”

Mr. McGreevy, who is from Loughinisland, is an advocate of the ‘suicide down to zero’ approach and chairman of the Downpatrick Area Suicide Prevention Group. He said he was delighted to have the opportunity of addressing Alliance Party members.

He added: “Our aim is to pilot the new suicide down to zero approach in Downpatrick and, when we can prove the difference it makes, share the learning with other areas.”