Funding plea after eight-year-olds call suicide hot-line

The NSPCC called today for proper government funded resources to tackle mental health problems among the young after it was revealed children as young as eight contacted ChildLine in the North last year talking about suicide.

Some of the children rang the charity helpline while actually trying to kill themselves, it revealed.

While three times as many girls rang to talk about suicide, in the North males are twice as likely to actually commit suicide.

More than a quarter of the 550 youngsters who made contact about mental health problems were girls who talked about suicide, said the children’s charity.

Problems highlighted in the calls included eating disorders, depression, sexual and physical abuse, bullying, family troubles and living with someone who has a mental illness.

Paddy Shannon, director of ChildLine Northern Ireland said: “When young people talk about suicide, they are obviously in deep despair. They are at crisis point with no one else to turn to, which is why they call us.

“The number of children who rang to talk about mental health issues last year could have filled 23 classrooms, so it’s a big problem.

“Some even rang the 24-hour helpline while attempting to take their own life and others said they had already tried to kill themselves and were thinking of trying again.”

Mr Shannon said they were able to give immediate support to the children who had clearly been going through a terrifying experience.

However, he called for urgent action to implement a properly resourced and responsive Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service locally.

He said “It is clear that those who call us with serious problems may need more intensive therapeutic support over a sustained period.

“At the moment, there are simply not enough therapeutic services for children with these problems, and we are urging the government to give this issue urgent attention.”

Frighteningly almost 150 callers to ChildLine called about self harm with many explaining they believed it helped them cope with other problems.

Eating problems also featured on the list of concerns with children and young people telling how they wanted to lose weight after being bullied.

Meanwhile at the start of Suicide Awareness Week on the Whiterock Road, West Belfast MP Gerry Adams launched a new ’Reaching Out’ campaign.

It has been organised by the Westrock Parent and Youth Support Group and Mr Adams praised the efforts of all those working to raise awareness around the increasing problem of suicide.

The campaign launch came as it was revealed another young person from west Belfast died at the weekend as a result of suicide.

Mr Adams said: “The statistics on suicide , particularly in west and north Belfast, are frightening. Suicide is the largest killer of our young people.

“There were 645 reported deaths by suicide across this island in the year 2004 to 2005. The death toll from suicide is greater than the number of people killed in traffic accidents in the same period.”

Because it was an all-Ireland approach it required an all-Ireland strategic approach, said the Sinn Féin MP, and should be an area of co-operation under the auspices of the North-South Ministerial Council.

“Every effort must be made to ensure that adequate resources, funding and training is available to tackle this issue,” he added.