Gateway Mental Health : September 2024

Monday, 9 September 2024

Tomorrow is World Suicide Prevention Day!

Let's talk....

In keeping with the theme of this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day, the HSE NOSP is asking people to enrol in and take part in ‘Let’s Talk About Suicide’ – a new, free, online suicide prevention training programme that takes just 60 minutes to complete.

'Let's Talk About Suicide' – provided under Connecting for life, Irelands National Strategy to Reduce Suicide – is for everyone, especially people who might be worried about a loved one, or people involved in supporting others in their communities. It helps and empowers participants to identify people who might be at risk of suicide, confidently ask about suicide, keep them safe, and connect them with resources that can help.

Help change the narrative...

The Department of Health, World Health Organisation, and HSE NOSP are co-hosting a one day, in-person conference on Thursday 12^th September in Dublin – Promoting safe and sensitive media reporting of suicide and self-harm.

Suicide presents a complex set of challenges for those who report on it. Supporting the media in their responsible reporting of suicide is important, because inappropriate or sensationalist media reporting of suicide can lead to a rise in suicide due to imitation. Conversely, stories of hope and overcoming difficulties can have a protective effect for people experiencing distress.

This Conference is suitable for those working in mental health or suicide prevention, public relations, press or media, broadcasting, news or journalism educational settings. It is presented with co-hosts Shine Headline and Samaritans Ireland.

Support is always available…

Remember that support for you, and the people you care about, is always available.

This World Suicide Prevention Day, signpost to supports whenever talking about suicide. It is a time of year that we remember people who have died by suicide, and their friends, families, colleagues and communities. Important information on suicide bereavement services and support is available at www.hse.ie/grief.

Many other services are open 24/7 and you can make contact in different ways, for example:

on the phone – Samaritans, visit www.samaritans.ie or freephone 116 123
by text message – Text About It, text HELLO to 50808, visit www.textaboutit.ie
online – MyMind, visit www.mymind.org
face-to-face – Pieta, visit www.pieta.ie or freephone 1800 247 247

You can also call the HSE YourMentalHealth Information Line, anytime day or night, for information on mental health, and what other services and supports are available near you – freephone 1800 111 888 or visit www.yourmentalhealth.ie.

Bereavement - HSE.ie