Tragedy

Over the past fortnight suicide and the reporting of suicide and combined suicide/homicide has been to the forefront of many discussions. We’ve spoken about it within my household, something positive I think, open broad-minded discussion. It was also a topic spoken about at length on radio including on Marian Finucane’s weekend radio show on our national broadcaster R.T.E. I was disappointed at the lack of expertise of the panel in the area of suicide and mental health problems given the seriousness of the issues they were discussing.

 I was slightly impressed by the ability of the Minister to admit that they didn’t actually know what to do in order to halt the increase in suicides and the acknowledgement that a strategy had to be implemented as a matter of priority in this area. I would suggest to the minister that perhaps guidance on where to start could be sought from survivors of near fatal suicide attempts and from those who are actively working in a voluntary capacity in suicide prevention organisations and in the mental health arena. Secondly I suggest adequately funding the organisations who are saving lives through supporting individuals who find themselves contemplating suicide, such as Pieta House, The Samaritans and SOSAD and also directing funds towards organisations who are actively working to promote mental health and challenge stigma in this area, such as Head strong, BodyWhys, See Change, Aware. Perhaps if these organisations , who already have effective support frameworks established and numerous skilled individuals working with them, didn’t have to direct as many resources towards fundraising they’d have more time to engage with vulnerable individuals.

 In terms of the media reporting on death by suicide, I think no judgement should be passed on those who have died by suicide, views that they were selfish to take their own lives, or acknowledgement of the suffering and distress which led them to take this drastic action, or lengthy references to how great they were and how much they had going for them, should all in my view be avoided. Death is tragic and final and death by suicide is unnecessary I feel it may be more beneficial to focus on the devastation felt by families and friends after the death of a loved one by suicide. Perhaps in the time when someone feels that others would be better off without them the testimonies of those left behind may resonate with them.

The concept of dealing with extreme distress and enduring it in the hope that it will pass with time, or that with time help may come and that things can and will get better also has to be better publicised. It is imperative that all interventions to buy time, to prolong the individual’s life are taken and made widely available. I agree very much with Padraig O’ Morain when he wrote a piece in the Irish times about suicide warning signs. He quoted a study from the US carried out among 15-34 year olds who had made what they classified as nearly lethal suicide attempts .Almost a quarter of those who made nearly lethal attempts said they decided to kill themselves less than five minutes before the attempt. More than two-thirds made the decision an hour or less before the attempt. Only one in eight, 13 per cent, had made the decision a day or more beforehand.

What this seems to mean is that many people attempt suicide in response to a temporary crisis. He also referred to the fact that studies of people who almost died in suicide attempts have found that decades later 90 per cent were still alive. He summarised these results by stating that the impulse to take one’s own life can sometimes be very short term and will not be repeated if the person is prevented from carrying out the act.

He suggested and I after reading his article concur that young people need to be given an emotional education in how to handle distress.

 Fostering resilience, building self esteem,  developing coping mechanisms for difficult and stressful times, facilitating discussion about mental health, equipping people to deal with distress and crisis intervention supports could all prove , in my opinion worthwhile as part of a suicide prevention strategy.