Today in The Journal:
‘We shouldn’t be afraid to talk about suicide – it’s the only way to understand it’
A talk is taking place in Dublin tonight on ‘Understanding the Suicidal Mind’.
SUICIDE IS A preventable cause of death, says clinical psychologist Dr Eoin Galavan, who is holding a seminar today on “Understanding the Suicidal Mind”.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Dr Galavan said there are certain things that can prevent suicide, stating that intervening in someone’s path to a lethal attempt is possible, but that people need to start talking about the issue first.
The talk, which takes place tonight at 7pm in the Davenport Hotel in Dublin, will look at what happens in the suicidal mind and how people can understand the psychology behind it.
Suicidal behaviour
Dr Galavan said he will be putting forward the theory that suicide and suicidal behaviour are understandable. He said that intervening on someone’s journey to suicide can prevent it. Why? Because, people have time to think, he said.
He said that people are very capable of secrecy and privacy when it comes to suicide, which is why so many people say after a suicide that they had no idea, there were no tell-tell signs, and they had no idea the person was contemplating suicide.
“It comes as a shock as people don’t see the journey that person has made privately,” he said.
Dr Galavan said there are barriers that stop people from talking about suicide.
“Stigma still surrounds it. The fact that it was illegal, where the term “committed suicide” was prevalent, when that is not the case now. It was also seen to be immoral where people could not be buried in consecrated grounds if they had died by suicide. Shame is still one of the major barriers that prevents openness,” said Dr Galavan.
Difficult to talk about
Talking about the issue is difficult for many, he said.
‘I have been contemplating suicide’ – it is a difficult thing for people to say. But I am sometimes relieved when I hear someone tell me that, as it means that they have taken that first step to move down the path to prevent it.
There is more we can do, he said, adding that understanding that suicide shouldn’t be a frightening topic of conversation.
He said that many people encourage and believe that we should be talking about suicide more and be open about it, However, when it comes to someone speaking directly to us about it, people feel anxious.
“Many people think talking with understanding about suicide is great, but when someone talks to me I wouldn’t know what to say. And this is understandable,” said Dr Galavan, who said that most people are anxious or fearful that they will say the wrong thing or make matters worse.
Not a solution
While Dr Galavan stated that the way in which we communicate and report about the subject can have causal effects such as suicide clusters, so it understandable the people can be fearful, he said, however, adding that not talking about it is not a solution either.
“There has been a lot of work over the last two decades on the psychology behind the motives of suicide,” said Dr Galavan, who said that while this is very important knowledge to have for suicidologists and mental health professionals, now it is about getting the understanding out there to the general public.
Tonight’s talk is being organised by The Irish Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (IACP). The talk is free for the public and practitioners alike, but as capacity is limited, the IACP is recommending people to make an advance booking
via www.iacp.ie.
Note: IACP website says talk is fully booked but call them if interested as there may be places available last minute... Tel. 01 230 3536
If you, or someone you know, needs support, someone to talk to or is in crisis;
please click here for details of where you can get help or read on (from The National Office for Suicide Prevention website)
Are you, or someone you know, in crisis now and need someone to talk to?
Ask for help. If you were feeling physically sick you would see a doctor, so don't be embarrassed about getting help for your mental health. Everyone needs help from time to time and there is nothing wrong with asking for it. In fact, asking for help is a sign of personal strength.
Call the Samaritans, the 24 hour listening service, to talk to someone now about what's on your mind. Call 1850 60 90 90
Contact your local doctor, listed under ‘General Practitioners’ in the Golden Pages, or find your nearest GP on the
HSE.ie Map Centre
If it's late in the evening or nighttime, contact a GP Out of Hours Service which you will find listed here on
HSE.ie
Go to, or contact, the Emergency Department of your nearest general hospital, which you can also find on the
HSE.ie Map Centre
Contact emergency services by calling 999 or 112
Information on where to go for help in a crisis is now available through your mobile phone. Text the word HeadsUp to 50424. The HeadsUp text service is run by RehabCare and sponsored by Meteor.
HSE Mental Health Services Nationwide
The HSE provides a wide range of mental health services around the country, in the community and in hospitals. On the main
HSE.ie website Mental Health Section, you can read more about Mental Health services - like details of the types and range of services provided, the health professionals who provide them, and other topics like counselling and suicide prevention. You can also find contact details for Mental Heath Services nationwide.
This is not a comprehensive list of voluntary support services. Local HSE Health Offices will be able to provide a more detailed guide to support services available in each region
ONLINE information and support
There are a wide range of voluntary organisations working in the area of Mental Health, and most of these services are now using the internet to reach out to people.
See the full list on organisations online here.
This article and website is provided for general information purposes only. We urge any person seeking support to make contact with a trained professional working within the mental health field and/ or a member of the relevant bodies, organisations and groups specialising in mental health support and intervention. A guide to seeking supports is available on
www.mentalhelp.ie
Gateway does not endorse or provide advice on specific treatments, models of care or any agency or group involved in this work. We simply do our best to share a variety of mental health and community related information and news as soon as we hear about it.
