Dear Editor,

The Rosbrien Suicide Awareness Group is a Limerick based group made up of families and friends of young people who have died by suicide and also people at risk of suicide.

We note with great concern your front page article on the National Suicide Research Foundations annual report and the alarming figures for suicide and para-suicide in the Limerick area.

We have been campaigning for the full implementation of the National Task Force Report on Suicide, 1998 , which was a comprehensive look at the whole issue of the tragedy of suicide in Ireland.

It’s recommendations included:

The Mid Western Health Board has not seriously dealt with any of these recommendations. We do NOT have a schools programme in place. We have heard recently from a doctors conference on suicide that they have not received special training on any of the suicide issues. There is NO multi-disciplinary psychiatric service in Limerick. We still have the same inadequate services we had prior to 1998. We know of cases where patients have been treated medically after attempted suicide and discharged without ANY psychiatric assessment.
There has been some movement in support for families bereaved by suicide, but, the friends of young suicide victims, whilst considered to be a high risk group are not catered for. 

While we appreciate the importance of the National Suicide Research Foundation and it’s findings. We feel that the extent of the tragedy of suicide is now apparent to all and any further money being made available to suicide prevention should go into providing adequate services, particularly for young people in crises and at risk of suicide. 

We note the reference to 'COPYCAT' suicides in your article. We as a group would not see this description as being appropriate or accurate. There are many communities around the country who has been affected by multiple suicides in their area. We believe that the reason for this is that when a young person dies through suicide his / her friends are affected. Young people do not expect a friend to die so young and like families are grieving at their loss. They are not aware that they are going through a grieving process and that in time they will come to terms with the loss of their friend. While there has been some improvement in services available to  support the bereaved families, there is no support for friends of young suicide victims. This lack of support in our opinion is leading to further suicides amongst vulnerable  friends. 

Yours sincerely,
Billy Doran, Chairperson
Derek Higgins, Secretary 

Rosbrien Suicide Awareness Group.