Plea to end taboos surrounding suicide

The taboo of talking about suicide must be blown away, it was claimed tonight.

Labour Party Councillor Aodhan O Riordain, who organised a public meeting on the issue, said people did not know how to react when a person took their own life.

“When something like this happens, people find it very difficult to talk to the parents and come out with any sort of meaningful condolences. They don’t know what to say,” he said.

Mr O’Riordain, who represents an inner city community in north Dublin, said it had experienced suicides among its young men like communities across the country.

One of the most recent involved a 16-year-old boy who took his own life after failing to come to terms with his sexuality.

“It was just absolutely gut-wrenchingly appalling. Nobody expects to have to bury a son and certainly not in a situation where they died by suicide,” said Mr O’Riordain.

The suicide awareness meeting, which took place in St. Agathas Hall in North William Street, Dublin, was attended by Maureen Bolger, a mother who set up Teenline after her own son died by suicide.

Representatives of Aware and Console were also present.

Mr O’Riordain said attention needed to be focused particularly on young men, who are more likely to remain silent about depression than women.

“We’re not going to solve it in one meeting but there has to be a reason why so many more young men are dying by suicide than young women,” said Mr O’Riordain.