Irish writer provides free digital resource for Suicide Prevention Day

September 10 marks World Suicide Prevention Day and, with suicide rates rising globally every year, Irish writer Declan Henry has taken it upon himself to provide a free resource for those in need.

Ireland . Written by Saoirse Schad.

Picture of a man holding a tablet with information on the screen

Content Warning: Contains mentions of suicide and suicidal ideation.

The award-winning writer, Declan Henry has written an informational booklet and suicide prevention guide entitled Suicide – Reasons to Live, which includes concerning signs to look out for in loves ones as well as some truly heartbreaking statistics.

Almost 800,000 people die by suicide annually, and 7,000 of those deaths are in Ireland and the UK. According to the Samaritans, a support service for those who are struggling with their mental health, suicide is the biggest killer of men under 35, with three-quarters of all suicide by men.

Henry’s booklet contains a wide range of anti-suicide strategies and is available to download for free on his website. The booklet also tells the stories of many Irish or UK individuals whose lives have been touched by suicide, either by losing a loved one or survivors of suicide attempts and suicidal ideation.

Sadly, mental health services in Ireland are overwhelmed by the rising number of people struggling to cope. There are, however, many charitable efforts in aid of mental health services taking place today in honour of World Suicide Prevention Day.

https://twitter.com/nbrez/status/1435678511424020483

For instance, mental health advocate and Irish personality Niall ‘Bressie’ Breslin is running a three-day marathon from September 9-11 in aid of his well-being service, A Lust For Life. He and a group of friends will take on this challenge of a lifetime to run 200km from Greystones to Tarmonbarry in support of those with mental health needs.

LGBTQ+ organisations are of course also honouring the day. LGBT Ireland has shared a moving video about Suicide Prevention in the Travelling community. They also shared details of an online concert organized by Travellers Together Preventing Suicide tonight at 8 pm.

Bressie also went on FM104’s Strawberry Alarm Clock this morning to discuss mental health and the affectionately-known, #MindYourNoggin day, where they are taking donations for the support service Jigsaw.

Whether you’re fundraising, donating, or raising awareness, there are many ways you can support mental health services this World Suicide Prevention Day.

To start, you can download Declan Henry’s free booklet to learn what you can about suicide-prevention strategies and, you never know, it could save a life.

 

If you have been affected by this story or are looking to reach out to someone for support or advice or just to talk, there are numerous services available for LGBTQ+ people, listed below, and many offer instant messaging support.
SpunOut.ie
LGBT Helpline
TENI
Samaritans
Aware
Pieta House
Mental Health Ireland

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