Suicide crisis - Government must show it is serious

THE tragic suicide of two young men, who signed a pact to take their own lives after meeting on an internet chatroom, shines a light on a crisis besetting Irish society which successive governments have failed to address with any real conviction.

In a bid to concentrate the attention of young people on an issue that claims more lives every year than road fatalities, a novel campaign being launched today targets those contemplating suicide, asking them to think again.

If similar campaigns have lacked relevance in the past, that can’t be said of the latest initiative. It takes on extra credibility by featuring a 22-year-old student who himself has tried to commit suicide on three occasions. He deserves to be commended for having the courage to tell his story in the public arena.

Essentially, the publicity drive aims to reach young people through TV and YouTube, a popular video broadcasting network that operates on the basis that you broadcast yourself.

Essentially, the video package is designed to grab the attention of people in an age group particularly vulnerable to Ireland’s suicide epidemic.

Grim statistics show that the highest suicide rate in this country is among men in their mid-30s or under. The sheer scale of this problem is graphically illustrated by the fact that 40% of all suicides here occur in that age group.

The central theme of the campaign is designed to get across to young people the fact that it is perfectly normal to experience difficulties and that support services are available to help them sort out their problems.

The shocking manner in which last week’s suicide pact was organised and then carried out illustrates the difficulties in addressing teenagers and young adults.

At that shocking tragedy, Nicolas Jameson from Walkinstown in Dublin and Brian McGlade from Omagh in Co Tyrone drowned together in a lake at Gortin Forest Park after discussing the idea on a website with the gruesome title “Alternative Suicide Holiday”.

The sense of personal isolation is an issue that will be addressed by the new campaign that is coordinated by the Spun Out organisation and jointly funded by Console, Turning the Tide of Suicide (3Ts). The National Office for Suicide Prevention has helped to cover the cost of airing the advertisement on national television.

It is appalling to think that because of lack of funding the advertising drive will be limited to a two-week run on TV. Ideally, if this important message is to be hammered home, it should get a much longer airing.

That point is well made by Ian Howley, the central character in the campaign, who admits making three suicide attempts 10 years ago when he had problems dealing with his own sexuality, causing him to become depressed.

As he succinctly puts it: “I had no one to talk to and the depression got stronger and stronger.”

There is a compelling case for providing more money for a relaunch of the ad campaign next September in order to target schools and colleges.

If the Government is really serious about tackling this country’s scourge of suicide, it should ensure that whatever funding is needed is made available without becoming bogged down in a web of bureaucratic red tape that will take forever to unravel.

Hopefully, the bright idea of using YouTube will scotch the misconception that young people contemplating suicide are alone and isolated.

By getting across the basic message that friends and support systems are at hand, the campaign should prove worthwhile and warrants proper funding.