VIDEO: Irish suicide support charity to boost mental health message with tweets

An Irish suicide support charity has set out to promote positive mental health one tweet at a time.

Suicide Aware’s Twitter chain campaign, which was launched in Cork yesterday, could go global.

Ireland and Munster rugby legend and Suicide Aware ambassador, Alan Quinlan, kicked off the charity’s #JoinTheChain campaign which will see a supportive tweet promoting positive mental health being posted on the social media network every 40 minutes.

The interval was chosen to reflect WHO figures which show someone dies by suicide every 40 minutes.

Each tweet will include a link to a fundraising campaign to help Suicide Aware continue its work.

VIDEO: Great idea from .@SuicideAwareIE, launched by .@AlanQuinlan1 in #Cork today #JoinTheChain #mentalhealthhttps://t.co/fzAc2hLxm2

— Eoin English (@EoinBearla) November 30, 2015

A number of celebrities who have backed the campaign will be involved in the non-stop flood of positive mental health tweets over the coming days and weeks.

“Twitter and social media is a great way to reach people and we hope that by keeping this chain of support going for as long as possible, it will help people to open up and feel comfortable to talk about their mental health,” said charity spokeswoman Patricia Behan.

Suicide Aware is the co-ordinating group behind the Amber Flag programme, which has seen hundreds of schools and organisations across the country promoting positive mental health.

Official figures show that some 500 people died by suicide in Ireland last year.

You can get involved in Suicide Aware’s chain of support campaign, by tweeting #JoinTheChain to @FlyingTheFlag40, or by email to [e-mail].