THE CHIEF executive of a suicide prevention charity has claimed nine out of 10 suicidal people who present to her therapeutic service for counselling are without a psychiatric history and are instead responding to a difficult event in their lives.
Joan Freeman of Pieta House said individuals who are dealing with specific difficulties need immediate intervention to prevent self-harm and even suicide.
“We had a woman in her 50s who had come to a series of endings in her life. Her children had left the home, her fertility had come to an end. Her self-image was very poor.
“Or a man in his 30s or 40s who has come out of a broken relationship and not only has he lost the love of his life but more than likely his shared circle of friends, and worst of all that, spontaneous access to his children. These are the people who are taking their lives.”
Pieta House provides one-to-one counselling for people who are suicidal or those who self-harm. Since opening its first centre in Dublin in 2006 the organisation has seen more than 3,000 people.
Speaking at Cork’s Clarion Hotel yesterday Ms Freeman said the aim was to open a Pieta House facility in the city. In January the organisation opened up two new centres, one in Ballyfermot in Dublin and one in Limerick.
Now costing €800,000 a year to run, every counselling session is free of charge and completely confidential. Only €70,000 in funding is received from the HSE, with the other €730,000 found through donations and fundraising.
Ms Freeman said Government funding in the area of suicide prevention is often very territorial and told Minister of State with responsibility for Mental Health Kathleen Lynch that there was a need for a more transparent method of allocating money in the area.
Meanwhile, John Mansworth, chairman of the Cobh-based voluntary suicide prevention group Breaking the Silence said suicide was the “last big taboo”.
Mr Mansworth’s group has visited schools in Cork to discuss suicide prevention, but he said often schools were not willing to get involved because they fear the subject. “We have gone to Cobh, Clonakilty and Carrigtwohill and they [the schools] loved it. But other schools won’t touch it. And we feel you have to get in as soon as possible because that is where it [suicide prevention] starts.”
Yesterday’s meeting on suicide prevention was organised to highlight a Pieta House Darkness in to the Light fundraising run to take place in venues throughout Ireland on May 7th. Further information can be obtained at pieta.ie or at Pieta House on 01-6010000.