The public is being asked to take part in a survey about suicide in a bid to reduce the incidence of both it and self harm in the west of Ireland.
The study is part of an initiative being spearheaded by the HSE which is developing a Suicide Prevention Action Plan for counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon in partnership with local organisations, community and voluntary groups.
The plan is part of Connecting for Life, a national strategy which aims to reduce suicide in Ireland. It sets out the Government’s vision for suicide prevention, the expected outcomes over the next five years and the actions that will be taken to prevent suicide and self harm.
The proposal aims to raise awareness of suicide prevention and good mental health, to begin or continue a public conversation that will support the way people think about these issues, to identify the priority areas for action in reducing suicide and self-harm, and to establish what is working and not working for people in maintaining good mental health.
The consultation process will comprise a number of phases. The first phase involves inviting online submissions which will be accepted over a two week period. The public can complete the survey online by visiting www.surveymonkey.com/r/CHO2 Mary O’Sullivan, Irish suicide resource officer for Galway explained that a new national strategy for suicide prevention was developed in 2015 by the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP ).
“The strategy incorporates international best practice, builds on previous prevention measures and aims to reduce the risk factors for suicidal behaviour.
“Along with other areas of our health service, we are working alongside the NOSP to develop a local action plan specifically for the west of Ireland in conjunction with various local organisations, NGOs, local authorities and communities. We encourage as many people to complete the survey so that we can continue to work in preventing suicide and self-harm in Ireland.”
