Pieta House offers hope to suicidal people

THE statistics are stark: ten people die by suicide every week — eight of whom are men — and 70,000 people attempt suicide every year.

“Nobody seems to be getting it. There is more talking about it than action,” says Joan Freeman, CEO and founder of Pieta House, which was established in 2006 and offers free therapeutic support to people who are suicidal or self-harming.

Last year, Pieta House saw more than 4,000 people. “We are standing at the cliff edge with the person,” says Joan. “The majority of people do not want to die — they just want to stop the way they are feeling.” Before the economic crash, the most frequent users of the service — which employs 170 people in nine centres — were in the 18-to-25-year age bracket. Now, it’s mortgage holders aged between 30 and 45 who are most likely to look for help.