‘Be vigilant for family and friends who are depressed’

A PRIEST has called on the public to be vigilant and confront friends and family members they suspect may be suffering from depression and thoughts of suicide in the lead up to Christmas.

Father Joe Young, a former parish priest in the Southill area of Limerick, believes people are in denial regarding levels of suicide and he fears that, as a result of the budget, more people will enter into a “world of silence”.

“I am really concerned about how many good, honest, decent people that have been working all their lives are now in a place where they feel a sense of failure, with no hope. Because of the time of year and the extra financial strain that the budget will bring into people’s lives, I think we are sitting on a time-bomb.

Fr Young said, as a result of stigma, many people refuse to talk about depression and turn to alcohol, which can lead to the belief there is no way out.

“If you suspect someone is suffering, tell them ‘you are in a dangerous place, but there is no need to be afraid’, he said, adding that depression was an illness.

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