South and East Belfast Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

Ó Donnghaile Welcomes Assembly Debate on Suicide

Published: 17 September, 2007

East Belfast Sinn Féin Representative Niall Ó Donnghaile today welcomed todays debate on suicide in the Assembly

Echoing Gerry Adams' contribution to the debate Mr Ó Donnghaile stated:

"In the course of the summer more people died as a result of suicide.

The statistics are frightening. In 2006 291 people died by suicide
in the north and close to 500 in the south. That is, nearly 800
people took their own lives last year on this island.

And yet suicide is preventable. All of us can play a part in reducing it.

One group that has demonstrated remarkable courage are the bereaved
families. Many of them have been to the fore in helping to prevent
the same tragedy engulfing others.

They deserve our respect and praise but they also deserve practical
assistance and public investment.

At grassroots, there is a lot of burnout. Support groups and family
networks are still not properly resourced.

It is a source of concern that so much of the money ring-fenced for
suicide prevention should be recycled through the Health Promotion
Agency.

It is a source of concern that there are still insufficient
community based services, too few psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists
and psychologists.

And it is a source of concern that most GPs do not yet have
dedicated training in suicide awareness and prevention.

Sinn Fein believes that civic society must be mobilised to respond.

Over the last 10 years reported suicides in Ireland have risen by
more than 25%.

North and west Belfast have been particularly affected. But other
areas have too.

Suicide has convulsed many local communities, exacerbating the
sense of powerlessness which people feel when faced with the
reality of a loved one taking their own life.

And when a series of suicides among young people take place in a
particular area parents live in great fear. Watching their children
and wondering.

The biggest killer of the next generation in Ireland is suicide.

Legislatures and governments must show leadership on suicide prevention.

We have the power to prioritise, to develop strategies and allocate
resources. We cannot abdicate our responsibility.

The number of recorded deaths by suicide on this island outstrips
deaths in raod traffic accidents.

There is an urgency and energy about road safety because so many
deaths are preventable.

We have safety training for drivers; safety devices in cars and
technology on our roads; road safety advice for school children;
road safety research; penalties for those who create road hazards;
millions are spent on public awareness advertising and there is an
increasingly integrated approach by statutory agencies and
government departments on an all-Ireland basis.

Should death by suicide not be given that same degree of intense
effort and resources?

Consequently, Sinn Féin wants suicide prevention to be prioritised
across the island under the institutions of the North South
Ministerial Council.

If road safety, drug-trafficking, and foot-and-mouth disease can
all be designated as issues for all-Ireland action, then the same
can and must be done with suicide prevention.

We need to develop and implement specific actions targeted at
individuals identified as being at risk of suicide;
actions to assist people who have been bereaved through suicide;
actions to promote greater targeting of mental health resources
through schools, youth services, workplaces and the media; action
to address the serious shortage of counselling services for
adolescents and young adults;
and urgent action to ensure that the health system is able to
deal appropriately with those who present themselves at an A&E
having taken either drugs or alcohol.

We also need to address the role of the internet and its influence.
There have been stories relating the internet to suicide pacts and
methods of suicide.

It needs all of us working together around agreed common strategies and goals."

Mr Ó Donnghaile added:

"Suicide is fast becoming identified with todays youth. That is a worrying element for us all. I welcome the fact that the Health Committee in the Assembly is to take the issue of suicide as a priority and hold
a statutory committee investigation into it.

I commend this approach. We believe that this is a positive and
constructive proposal which has the potential to deliver
significant improvements to suicide prevention strategies."

Gerry Adams MP MLA shall host a Conference on Suicide in the Long Gallery, Stormont, 24 September @11.30am
This cross party conference shall include the Minister for Health Michael Mc Gimpsey, the Minister for Education Caitríona Ruane, Dan Neville from the Institute of Suicidology, support groups, bereaved families and representatives from Leinster House.