One in Five People Consider Suicide

ASIST facilitator Mark Logan (far left) and course
participants at NUI Galway.  Photo c/o NUIG Students' Union

AT ANY given time, one in five people will have suicidal thoughts. This fact was one of many eye-opening statistics shared with students who took part in a suicide first aid course in NUI Galway last week. 

Participants were also informed that people who have made a previous suicide attempt are 100 times more likely to die by suicide.

The aim of the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training course is to equip partakers with the required skills to identify when somebody might be depressed or suicidal.

Students were taught how to connect with, understand and assist an individual who is experiencing suicidal thoughts or tendencies.

The initiative was originally due to take place in the college in October but was cancelled due to HSE cutbacks.

Following the controversial decision, the Students’ Union lobbied the Government and funding was restored.

The hands-on training programme took place on campus on February 14 and 15 and eighteen students attended.

“ASIST courses are hugely important globally – evaluations have shown that where ASIST is being rolled out extensively amongst communities, the incidence of suicide has dropped,” said Mark Logan, ASIST trainer and Regional Manager at RehabCare West.

“People come in feeling worried and anxious about the course and leave feeling confident about what they can do.

“The evaluations are universally excellent because people leave with a set of skills and confidence to know what to do if somebody is at risk of suicide,” Mr Logan added.

Joanna Brophy, Assistant Manager of NUIG’s Students' Union, stated: “It was great to work with Headsup and we look forward to running the course again, most likely in October 2013.”

The model for the ASIST course was originally developed by the Canadian mental health initiative LivingWorks in 1982. The programme is the most widely used suicide intervention training course in the world – over one million people have been trained globally.

The NUIG Students’ Union has been running the two-day ASIST course on campus once a semester since 2009.

In Ireland the course is facilitated by the HSE and Headsup – a Rehab Group initiative that promotes positive mental health among young people.

Over the past decade, some 25,000 people have participated in the ASIST programme nationally.

In 2011, the last year for which records are available, there were 525 reported cases of death by suicide in this country.

State funding of €35 million has been earmarked for spending in the mental health sector in 2013; the same amount as last year.

In January Kathleen Lynch, Minister of State with responsibility for Mental Health, spoke of the Government’s future plans in this area. As part of their bullying action scheme, a programme that promotes positive mental health in secondary schools has been launched.

At a practice-based level, two specialist nurses are to be stationed in each suicide unit in Ireland. A joint initiative with the Irish College of GPs that will increase doctor training on the subject has also been introduced.

For further information on mental health support, text HEADSUP to 50424 or visit www.headsup.ie. Details on ASIST and other mental health courses are available on the National Office for Suicide Prevention website – www.nosp.ie. For additional information on RehabCare West, telephone 091 755 686 or email mark.logan@rehab.ie.

This article was published on Headsup.ie and also featured in today's edition of The Connacht Tribune.