The Task Force Report was issued in 1998.

The following is The Rosbrien Suicide Awareness Group’s policy statement on the implementation of The Task Force recommendation.
It is our intention to pursue the issues raised in this statement with politicians and anyone else who can assist us in securing the full implementation of the Task Force Recommendations.   

Statistics from 1998 to 2003 supplied by the Central Statistics Office

We would like to emphasize that our statement is a critical look at the lack of progress by the Statutory Agencies in implementing the Task Force Recommendations. It may seem negative to someone reading this who is suffering from Depression, Suicidal or bereaved by Suicide. Our main objective is creating awareness on all issues relating to suicide and also make the public aware of the service available. We can honestly say to anyone needing help, help is available. 
We have encountered a number of dedicated voluntary groups and private professionals who we can recommend. We have listed these on our web site. 
If we can be of any assistance to you please use our feedback page in confidence.   

Brian Cowen TD (Minister for Health and Children 1998)
“In order to tackle this growing tragedy in our society it is essential that a clear, systematic approach aimed at the prevention of suicide and suicidal behavior is put in place. I am glad that the report identifies the various authorities with jurisdiction in suicide prevention strategies and their respective responsibilities”

We have had a number of meetings with the Acting Director of The Mental Health Services in the MWHB (Mid Western Health Board) and his Suicide Resources Officer and it is quite clear to us that the implementation of Task Force recommendations have been left with them. Where they have made limited inroads in the area of suicide awareness and bereavement counselling they have little or no influence on the services that are provided by the Mental Health Service. The control of these services is with the Psychiatrists and they decide on the services required and utilised. It is our belief that these Psychiatrists are not up to date on matters relating to suicidal behavior and are not implementing the Task Force recommendations.  

The following are some of the issues, that need to be addressed. 

Provision of Services ( General )

Recommendation: -
The provision of an extensive network of community-based psychiatric services, bringing specialised, multi-disciplinary psychiatric services within easy reach and accessible to all citizens and referral agencies, so that psychiatric services are readily available and acceptable to all. This will lead to more frequent and earlier referrals of potentially suicidal patients and enable them to receive earlier and more effective treatment.
The experiences of our families is proof that this service is far from being complete

Recommendation: -

This not happening.

 The Healthline Directory
This is not being circulated; it is only available on request. None of the families in our group were aware of its existence when it would have been very helpful to them at their time of need. 

The Coroner

Recommendation: -

Prevention of suicide and parasuicide 

Schools

Recommendation: -

WE recently brought a trained and experienced counsellor to three schools in Limerick to talk to the students on matters relating to suicide. This was the first time this was done in Limerick.
We also studied the SPHE curriculum for secondary schools and it does not deal with depression and suicide. 

Services (Prevention)

Recommendation: -

The possibility of suicide be considered when treating people with mental health problems. In particular, pre-discharge assessments on patients leaving in-patient care should have regard to the high risk of suicide in newly discharged patients. Such assessments should therefore be thorough and comprehensive and each examination should be the subject of appropriate case note entries.

Intervention 

Recommendation: -

This is another area where we have major concerns.

Aftermath and Aftercare.
The families in our group have been treated with total disrespect when they had to go to the Regional Hospital to identify the bodies of their loved ones. In 1996 when one family arrived at the mortuary a Hospital Porter met them. They had to request the porter to leave to allow them some personal time. There were no other personnel from the hospital present not even a priest or nurse. 

We had a similar case in 2000 where another family were also met by a Hospital Porter, who asked them to wait outside the mortuary for a time. After gaining entry they requested some information and were told that the staff on duty could not furnish any details. They were told to contact the undertaker. Again, there were no other personnel from the hospital present, not even a priest or a nurse. 

We requested, from the Head of the Mental Health Services, a counsellor for the area that we could recommend to young people and the reply was “I will check it out and get back to you”. Since then we have lost another young man through suicide.

We spent 45mins on Friday the 30^th November trying to locate the S.O.S. packs. We contacted the Citizens advice Bureau who referred us to the Garda stations. We contacted them and they did not have the S.O.S. packs. These are information packs that the Gardai are to bring to families who have been bereaved through suicide with available services and helpful contact numbers.

Its typical of the Health Boards to tell us that all these services are available to families, but as our group will tell you, after 5 years and as recently as 2002 there has been no contact with the bereaved families within the group, with offers of help or counselling.  

There is a very good book available called “The Health Lines Directory” which is only available on request; but the problem is, if you don’t know it exists you can’t request it. When we requested it, we were asked how many copies we needed, as there were boxes of them available (gathering dust). 

People who need to attend the psychiatric services in this area are limited and disadvantaged immediately, as they fall under the so-called “care” of the Chief Psychiatrist in “Willowdale”. These people deserve the right to choose whom they attend; there is no freedom of choice. 

Recently we heard of Task Force teams moving into the Fenit area of Kerry where apparent copycat suicides had taken place.

In Corbally, Limerick, all sorts of emergency counselling was made available after a recent shooting outside a school. We have no problem with that as children may have been affected by what happened, but anyone who has attended a young persons funeral, especially families and close friends of the deceased, surely deserve to be treated the same as the those effected by the school incident. No one knows if there is any long-term damage mentally with these groups of young people, but in our experience we have come across many children, young adults and families who have been severely traumatised by these deaths. We know of many young people who have buried as many as four close friends from this area.

If bereaved families are properly counselled at an early stage it may prevent further deaths and we believe that the same can apply to a community where young people are suffering in silence because of the loss of a friend or friends.

The result of not providing support and counselling for the families and young friends of suicide victims is that, like The Rosbrien area of Limerick, there are many families and communities all over Ireland who are deeply effected by multiple suicides in their area.