Brendan Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)

As this is my first statement to the House, I wish to extend my profound thanks and gratitude to the people of Dublin North for their support in the general election and for the trust they have placed in me. I will endeavour to repay this trust during the lifetime of the 31st Dáil.

I have chosen the issue of suicide prevention on which to make my maiden statement to the House as I strongly believe, as I know all in the House do, that the task of suicide prevention needs increased attention from all sections in our society, including all in the House.

I wish my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, well in her work ahead. I thank her for the comprehensive introduction to the debate which she made last Thursday. I also wish to acknowledge the work of Deputy Dan Neville in this area, and the great work in this area of the previous Minister of State, Deputy John Moloney, which I saw at first hand when I was a Member of the Seanad.

For too long, suicide has dwelled at the very edges of our national comfort zone. We are on the verge of changing our approach to this entire issue, and I know it is a priority for the Government to fundamentally improve how we tackle the issue of suicide and suicide prevention. There is no doubt we are experiencing an emergency with regard to suicide. Between now and when we sit in the Chamber next Thursday, a further ten people will have lost their lives to suicide in this country. I am sure all Members will agree that ten people a week, more than one person every day, is a shocking statistic. Even more worrying is the belief that this figure is likely to remain this high, if not climb even higher, given the hardship placed on so many of our citizens by the recent economic crisis.

It remains true that many instances of suicide occur in people with no previous history of mental illness or depression. Rather, it may be the circumstances of life that conspire to leave people in such a distressed state that suicide becomes the best option they can see. The loss of one's job, the breakdown of a relationship, sudden separation from family or circle of friends and other related factors can all lead a person on a path where suicide is contemplated.

We need to arrest the rise in suicides now. In the limited time I have, I would like to discuss three possible areas where I think the Government's suicide prevention strategy can focus. These are as follows: primary care within the community; raising awareness among children and especially teenagers through direct education in schools; and tackling the stigmatisation of suicide.

With regard to primary care in the community, it is vital, as set out in the programme for Government, that we ensure people have access to psychologists and counsellors in the primary care setting. This will require strengthening the services offered in GP surgeries and local clinics throughout the State. Modernising and improving our health service in local communities will be the front line in our suicide prevention strategy. The deconstruction of the old system of acute cases being sent to asylum-era institutions, such as St. Ita's in Portrane in my constituency of Dublin North, needs to be accelerated. It will be one of my priorities during the lifetime of the Government to ensure Ministers stick to their promises in this regard, and I believe they will. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, will drive this agenda.

It is also vital that we harness and support the important work done by voluntary organisations such as Pieta House. In its short lifespan of five years, Pieta House has counselled more than 3,000 people struggling with suicidal thoughts. Pieta House is just one of many organisations voluntarily providing care to people suffering with suicidal thoughts. We need to include such organisations in our suicide prevention strategy to create a joined-up plan for harnessing the care and compassion these organisations provide.

With regard to education, there must be a commitment from the Government to deliver on the education of young people on the issue of suicide awareness, and schools can play a key role in this regard. There are a number of initiatives we could implement in the short term to raise awareness and to provide a support structure in schools for students who may be at risk of suicide. These include curriculum-based presentations to students, self-reporting for students and school-wide screening for identification of at-risk individuals. Teachers can play a key role, but they must be provided with adequate skills and therefore there must be increased in-service training for primary and post-primary teachers on suicide prevention. It may be asking a lot of teachers to spot every behavioural characteristic of every student. However, if we give our teachers a better chance of identifying a potential child at risk through improved training, then we will save lives.

With regard to destigmatising suicide, we need a change of culture around suicide. We need to treat suicide with care, understanding and support. For too long, suicide has been a dirty word in Ireland. It is a cause of shame, when it should be a cause for empathy and compassion. Our local and national media outlets have a responsibility in this regard to report on suicide with due understanding and intelligence. I must commend the national campaigns launched by the National Office for Suicide Prevention, including some very powerful national TV advertisements aimed at young people, and the development of the letsomeoneknow.ie website.

The Government needs to continue to support such campaigns which confront the stigma surrounding suicide. Only through understanding and care at all levels, from the personal to the political, will we ever be able to successfully tackle suicide. I wish the Government well in this regard.

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