Laois Schools Deny Bullying Contributes To Suicide
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 Suicide helpline launched By: Joe Barrett SOME schools in Laois are refusing to accept that bullying might contribute to students contemplating suicide. Others have refused to allow parents’ councils arrange talks on the subject. These claims were touched on at the launch of a new suicide prevention helpline in Portarlington on Monday night. The meeting, organised by local woman Celine Knight who lost both her son and grandson through suicide, heard harrowing accounts from relatives of those who have taken their own lives. “She said none of her teachers wanted to know when she tried to tell them,” the woman told the meeting. “Bullying is not just a physical thing but it affects a lot of people mentally as well,” she said. Anther woman spoke about her niece who had died by suicide. “My niece went to two hospitals on a Friday night. The first hospital turned her away. The second said she needed emergency counselling. By the following Monday she was dead. She was only 25. The person in the second hospital was just too lazy to write up the paperwork she needed to get help. Two hospitals turned her away and in the end she said she was on her own.” Marie Corcoran, who is a member of Portarlington Mental Health Association said some schools refused to acknowledge mental health issues among the students and didn’t want the association to come in to give talks. Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick a board of management member of Scoil Iosagáin, said his school had organised a talk on suicide to coincide with another event that had taken place in the school. “Two-thirds of the parents left before the speaker came on. People don’t seem to want to face up to this issue. Another man spoke about his 38-year old brother who took his own life. “He seemed to have everything. But nobody knew why he did it.” “There’s 400 to 600 reported suicides in Ireland every year. Some guards told me they think one-third of all road traffic accidents are by drivers who commit suicide.” Others complained about not enough afterhours services in the county to deal with people with suicidal tendencies. Ms Knight said it was hoped the helpline would be operational within the next four months. She said as well as the helpline the group was also hoping to establish a drop-in centre with qualified counsellors on hand to offer support and help. She said expert training will be given to those who volunteer to help along with expert back-up. She said initially the phone help line would operate seven days a week from 9am to midnight but it was hoped to extend the service to 24 hours a day. PRO for the Portarlington Lions Club Willie Murphy said his group would sponsor the printing of 3,000 credit card sized information cards with national and local helpline numbers. Summing up the meeting Ms Knight said: “If we can even help to save one person’s life by our services, then it’s worth doing.” - Laois Nationalist