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.