Suicide is something that a lot of people are afraid to talk about. But as more and more people decide to take their own life, it’s a conversation we can no longer put off having. Based on data for Northern Ireland, in 2016 there were 297 people who lost their life to suicide; that’s more than three times the amount than the 73 than took their lives in 1970. 

This is why platforms, such as yesterday’s Contact NI conference – Suicide Prevention: What Works?, which highlighted suicide prevention strategies put in place by some institutions to prevent more suicides – are invaluable. Unfortunately, lives had to be lost before these strategies were put in place, however, hopefully they will prevent further tragedies from occurring. Speakers included school principals who spoke about their school mental health and suicide prevention strategy after losing pupils to suicide; among these strategies were working collaboratively with pupils, parents and external agencies.

One of the key speakers was former Health Minister Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat MP, who is an advocate for the ‘Zero Suicide’ initiative. Lamb believes that ‘safeguarding training’ should be readily available for every person or service provider, because “every suicide is preventable”. Lamb expressed disappointment that the launch of the new Zero Suicide Alliance at the House of Commons, a collaboration of NHS Trusts, businesses and individuals committed to suicide prevention in the UK, isn’t a government-led initiative. 

Mental health awareness has been increasing, but statistics show that very little has improved. First and foremost, waiting times in Northern Ireland are unacceptably high. When there is a crisis there shouldn’t be any waiting to get help, there simply can’t be. Too often prescription medication, for example antidepressants, is the quickest answer, but other methods such as counselling, cognitive behaviour therapy, and getting to the root of the issue is completely overlooked. 

There needs to be a change.

The system has to stop being defensive. Partisanship needs to step aside when it comes to mental health. Communities are crying out for solutions to be put in place; for early intervention, and for mental health services to receive wholesome investment. 

One of the school principals attending this week’s conference said that hope and resilience should be part of the school curriculum; no-one is immune from mental ill-health, and we could all learn better how to deal with it in our own lives and spot signs in the lives of others struggling. No better place is this preventative framework enabled than in the lives of young people. Even basic guiding points, such as asking questions such as “What is right with you? What are your strengths?”, as opposed to “What is wrong with you? What happened to you?”

By focusing on good and pleasant things in our lives (it can be our family, friends, animals who bring us joy, nice memories or anything at all that brings us comfort) we can face our problems from clearer perspective. These are very practical skills anyone can take to better cope with life, to help themselves and others, but this is for a completely new blog post.