Urgency needed to tackle suicide in Ireland – Crowe

Speaking  in  the  Dáil  today on the issue of suicide Sinn Féin TD Seán
Crowe,  a  patron  of  phone counselling and awareness service Teenline,
said  the system in place to support vulnerable children in some schools
is not working.

Deputy  Crowe  also  raised the need for chill out rooms in hospitals to
take patients away from the bedlam in accident and emergency units.

He said:

“Last  year  a young lad from a neighbouring constituency took part in a
play as part of a suicide awareness programme.  Having taken part in it,
one  would  have  expected  him  to  realise  the pain and suffering his
family,  friends and colleagues would go through, but he ended up taking
that path.

“On  his  first  anniversary  another kid from the same school took that
path.   Support  is  available  in  that  school.   I  asked  one of his
schoolmates how he felt and how he was affected.  He told me support was
available but that if they wanted counselling, they slipped a note under
the door of the school principal.  Then they were called out of class.

“If  one  is not a hard chaw – many of these kids are not – they will be
asked  why  they  were  called out and the principal wanted to see them.
Young men and boys do not want people to know that they need counselling
or help.  The system in place in that school does not work.

“I  know  of a volunteer worker who was involved in counselling and came
across  a  young  girl of 15 years who talked about taking her own life.
As  there  was  no  adult  at  home, she was brought to the accident and
emergency  unit.   Having  built  up  a  relationship with the girl, the
volunteer  who  acted as advocate could not remain with the girl because
there was no family link.

“The  accident and emergency unit was bedlam at a time, but the girl had
been  brought  in  on her own.  If there was a chill room as part of the
hospital  system,  an  advocate  could remain with the person concerned.
There  is  a  need  for  the  system  to  realise  that  when people are
vulnerable,  they  need  to  sit outside the madness of the accident and
emergency unit.  We all know such stories.

“We  must  set targets.  Other speakers referred to the number of deaths
on  the  roads  and  the amount of money spent in tackling that problem.
There  is  no  urgency  in  tackling this issue.  We must set targets to
reduce the figures.”