Mildred Fox (Wicklow, Independent)

I welcome the opportunity to say a few words on the subject of suicide. Like many others, my community has had the unfortunate experience of losing a number of people through suicide. I thank the Technical Group for raising this matter and highlighting the subject.

One of the first times I spoke in this House was on the subject of suicide. At the time a task force was being set up to examine its high incidence. Since then suicide has overtaken road fatalities as the biggest cause of loss of life among young people. However, while we have many campaigns aimed at reducing the number of road fatalities, there is nothing on a par aimed at those who may be considering suicide.

Thankfully, suicide is no longer the taboo subject it once was. However, in terms of mental health issues, we still have a long way to go before it is a subject that is openly and comfortably discussed in society. Unfortunately, mental health issues such as depression are all too often carried in secret, dismissed or not taken seriously. AWARE tells us that one in three of us will suffer a depressive episode at some time in our lives, yet depression remains under diagnosed and under treated. This rings true when we consider the difficulties with alcohol and drug abuse in society and the ever increasing numbers of those who take their own lives.

The area of mental health services can be a nightmare for many. For many families with a loved one with a mental health problem, it can be impossible to obtain help or services. I am aware of cases where parents have had to go to court and get barring orders against their children, whom they believed were suffering with mental illness, in the desperate hope that a sympathetic judge would force the State to assess them and have them helped. Some families have brought young adults to psychiatric hospitals for help but, shamefully, they were sent home feeling completely alienated. I wish this was an isolated case, but I am aware of a number of such cases.

There are also some families with young adults who are officially diagnosed with a so-called behavioural disorder which does not seem to be severe enough to warrant help. Many of these families tell us that they live in fear of an adult child. They do not want to put them out on the street, yet they do not seem able to get help anywhere for them.

County Wicklow is lucky to have a number of voluntary organisations that provide support and assistance for families of the victims of suicide. Many of the issues they raise with us as public representatives could be addressed on a practical level. Unfortunately, many families have to wait for up to two years for an inquest into the death of their loved one because it was a suicide. When the inquest finally takes place, it is in a courthouse where there are people on all types of business. All the inquests are held together and afterwards bereaved families are just left to grieve in the hallway. This could be easily addressed and the Minister of State should take up the issue.

The provision of counselling services for those considering suicide and families of victims is in short supply. Counselling is mainly left to voluntary organisations to sort out and it is difficult to access the services. The provision of counselling for those considering suicide should be easily obtained and services should be widely publicised and available.

The Department of Education and Science has a vital role to play in highlighting mental health issues in secondary schools because such a large number of young people take their own lives. Special programmes on mental health issues aimed at encouraging young people to seek help if they feel they need it should feature widely in secondary schools so that young people do not feel they are being singled out. A universal programme should be introduced. Young men, in particular, should know a service is available to help them, even if they never need to use it. I welcome the work that is being done on a national strategy and I hope it helps to reverse the trend.

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