Government urged to boost funding for suicide prevention

SUICIDE PREVENTION campaigners have urged the Government to dramatically increase the funding allocated to support services aimed at reducing the number of people taking their own lives.

Figures published earlier this year show a record 527 people died by suicide last year, a 24 per cent increase over the previous year. On Wednesday, the Government announced it was allocating an additional €1 million to suicide prevention groups, bringing the overall spend on these services to €5.5 million.

But Noel Smyth, chairman of the 3Ts charity which promotes awareness of suicide, said the extra funding announced was just a “drop in the ocean” compared with what was needed.

“If you take out the human tragedy and just focus on the economics of this, there is an overwhelming reason to increase what we spend on this area,” he said.

“Researchers at NUI Galway a few years ago estimated that suicide and depression cost us around €900 million a year.

“In Scotland, they managed to significantly reduce the numbers taking their own lives by spending €25 million on prevention services,” he said.

Mr Smyth called for the establishment of an independent suicide prevention authority – similar to the Road Safety Authority – which is adequately funded to co-ordinate training and support programmes. He also said an audit for existing services was needed to address the fragmented nature of many of our support services that are spread across hundreds of different organisations.

However, Geoff Day of the Health Service Executive’s national office for suicide prevention argued that his office was co-ordinating prevention activity and that a new national authority was not needed. He also said the €5.5 million on suicide prevention did not include money spent across the wider mental health sector, which also played a crucial role in tackling suicide.

Mr Day pointed to his office’s annual report as evidence of the scale of prevention activity taking place across the State.

Among the initiatives outlined in the office’s annual report, published this week, include a new website aimed at young people who are reluctant to access traditional services, 150,000 leaflets on positive mental health for people attending services, such as the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, and training for 18,000 people in suicide awareness.

Many experts say the sharp rise in people taking their own lives and self-harming over the past year has been linked to the recession. The biggest year-on-year increase was among men (up 11 per cent), the highest rate since records began six years ago.

The 1life helpline

(1800-247100) offers confidential support for people in need of help. It is a joint venture by two charities, the 3Ts and Console.

Freephone: 1800-247100; Text: “HELP” to 51444 for

one-to-one support.

Website: www.1life.ie