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I’VE debated with myself for a while on whether or not to write about this subject as thankfully it is not something that has ever knocked on my door but it has affected many friends.
The subject is suicide and there is not a day that I don’t hear of another family scourged by the plague.
Hundreds of people each year will die by suicide, the figure is rising every year. I cannot comprehend why this is not declared some sort of a state of emergency by the government.
There seems to be little or nothing being done to prevent another family standing at a graveside with so many questions unanswered. Why is this? Are our politicians too afraid to tackle the subject?
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Recently we saw singer Bressie give a heartfelt and powerful speech in the House of the Oireachtas. The man spoke from his own experience about his difficulties with mental health and he delivered a piece that went viral.
I questioned the fact that there were so few elected representatives there listening to him. Where were they? This is a bloody important subject.
Every week we are asked on social media to share a post about a missing person from some part of the country. It breaks my heart when I see this and I imagine what the mother and father, brother or sister of the missing is going through.
The organized searches, the pleas to check buildings, the emotional posts from those who love and miss them. When is this going to be recognized as the epidemic that it is?
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Only last week there was the heartbreaking story of a young man from Dublin who was refused treatment at Beaumont Hospital as it was outside his jurisdiction, he later took his own life.
What the hell is going on? When are we going to wake up and put a value on human life?
Charities such as Pieta House and The Samaritans do stellar work but they have very limited resources and are overwhelmed with the amount of people looking for help.
As election time is upon us, I urge you to question the canvassers calling to your door about their policies for mental health and what their proposals are to combat the growing suicide figures?
Look out for those you care about and most importantly be kind to everyone, you never know what someone is going through and a harsh or mean word could be the one that wounds them deeply.
If you are going through a difficult time, visit your GP and get recommendations for a good counsellor. Tell someone close to you how you are feeling. Don’t suffer in silence.
Until next week,
Be kind to each other!
Orlagh xx
