Suicide Vs Speed

RobAMerc

Can someone tell me why the government hasn't bothered to invest money putting even one advert on the telly regarding suicide yet are happy to spend huge amounts in advertisements telling people to slow down. I mean suicide is a much bigger killer here, and with the number of people running into financial trouble coz of the recession, is getting worse.

Ok - I am the last person to be naive enough to think that the speed thing is not a revenue generator, but surely in the face of unprecedented financial turmoil and massive job losses an advert/phone line helping people who feel close to the edge is the least they could do no ?

Maybe its cheaper to let people on the edge just go over it ?

Fo Real

I've seen ads on TV encouraging young people to talk about their problems to foster good mental health. The government can't really tell people "don't commit sucide" (inb4 Bertie ), all they can do is try to address the causes that might drive a person to take their own life. It's far easier to tell people "don't speed or drive while drunk".

Also I want to see statistics to back up your claim...

...with the number of people running into financial trouble coz of the recession, is getting worse.

The Nordic countries are relatively rich yet they have among the highest suicide rates in the world. Many claim this is due to the short days within the Artic circle and the cold, depressing weather.

later12

There are numerous publicly funded advertising campaigns to do with mental health issues. I agree that a televised campaign would help, however. But knowing the absolutely perilous state of mental health services in this country, it is no surprise that it is not on top of the agenda.

herya

suicide is often attempted when the person in question is not thinking clearly, due to depression, stress or despair, therefore ads would not change anything there. What could help is a campaign to raise awareness among families so that they can look for the signs early enough and they know where to go for further support.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Suicides a very difficult thing to manage. I mean imagine there was an ad campaign and a higher amount of people ended up killing themselves, because they were more aware suicide was a way out.

So perhaps it is best to have general campaigns like the mental health ones.

De Hipster

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

Suicides a very difficult thing to manage. I mean imagine there was an ad campaign and a higher amount of people ended up killing themselves, because they were more aware suicide was a way out.

So perhaps it is best to have general campaigns like the mental health ones.

I think a series of infomercials aimed at the general public (i.e. friends, families, relations, social circles and communities of anyone contemplating suicide – it’s not gender, background or social group specific) outlining triggers, signs, support mechanisms, etc.

People often feel useless and helpless wishing that they had the wherewithal to have recognised the telltale signs and the ability to have done something – usually after the fact when it is ultimately too late.

I for one would have welcomed some knowledge & foresight when it would have been relevant and may have prevented someone from resorting to suicide.

Bottle_of_Smoke

De Hipster wrote: »

I think a series of infomercials aimed at the general public (i.e. friends, families, relations, social circles and communities of anyone contemplating suicide – it’s not gender, background or social group specific) outlining triggers, signs, support mechanisms, etc.

People often feel useless and helpless wishing that they had the wherewithal to have recognised the telltale signs and the ability to have done something – usually after the fact when it is ultimately too late.

I for one would have welcomed some knowledge & foresight when it would have been relevant and may have prevented someone from resorting to suicide.

It is usually the case that there are no tell-tale signs. Permanent solution for a temporary problem. The type of person more likely to kill themselves is also the type of person who bottles up their problems and doesn't let people see they're hurting.

goose2005

Fo Real wrote: »

The Nordic countries are relatively rich yet they have among the highest suicide rates in the world. Many claim this is due to the short days within the Artic circle and the cold, depressing weather.

Actually they're way down the list. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate Top 10 are Belarus, S Korea, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Japan, Russia, Guyana, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, Hungary (a lot of heavy drinkers in that list...). Ireland is way down the list at 50th of 106, but mental health provision is still very poor once people actually do seek help - teenagers sent to adult hospitals etc.

De Hipster

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

It is usually the case that there are no tell-tale signs. Permanent solution for a temporary problem. The type of person more likely to kill themselves is also the type of person who bottles up their problems and doesn't let people see they're hurting.

Understood indeed. But where there may even be a change in outward personality, sleeping patterns, drinking, social activities...etc, etc, etc.

It would be useful to a lot of people to know how to broach the situation without the fear of compounding it...it's never going to be an exact science but anything rather than shameful silence would at least allow people to discuss the matter more openly.

leeroybrown

goose2005 wrote: »

Ireland is way down the list at 50th of 106, but mental health provision is still very poor once people actually do seek help - teenagers sent to adult hospitals etc.

I wouldn't fully believe that figure. For reasons of social stigma quite a few county coroners in this country still refuse to record 'suicide' as a cause of death and instead will record 'death by misadventure' or similar. If you've got enough cases of "accident in kitchen with rope noose" the figures reduce quite quickly. Also, any suicide here that involves a vehicle crash will likely be recorded as an accidental death.

RobAMerc

leeroybrown wrote: »

I wouldn't fully believe that figure. For reasons of social stigma quite a few county coroners in this country still refuse to record 'suicide' as a cause of death and instead will record 'death by misadventure' or similar. If you've got enough cases of "accident in kitchen with rope noose" the figures reduce quite quickly. Also, any suicide here that involves a vehicle crash will likely be recorded as an accidental death.

+1 - How many single vehicle/ occupant crashes are really accidents ?
I'm not saying all are - but I imagine a fair amount are people deciding that's the mode they wish to use to end it.

RobAMerc

Fo Real wrote: »

Also I want to see statistics to back up your claim...

Sorry I dont have a link but...

"By Joe Cahill, on October 30th, 2009
Irish Times

Suicide prevention experts say job losses and the recession may be linked to a 43 per cent increase in the number of suicides recorded during the first three months of this year.

Latest figures from the Central Statistics Office indicate that 106 people took their lives during the first three months of this year, compared to 74 during the same period last year."

Bottle_of_Smoke

De Hipster wrote: »

Understood indeed. But where there may even be a change in outward personality, sleeping patterns, drinking, social activities...etc, etc, etc.

It would be useful to a lot of people to know how to broach the situation without the fear of compounding it...it's never going to be an exact science but anything rather than shameful silence would at least allow people to discuss the matter more openly.

I hear ya but all these things are also symptomatic of non suicidal people so its a big risk to take as any potential action runs the risk of more people killing themselve.

I have to say I don't think shameful silence is fair because the government agencies have done promotions like ''mind your head''

mikemac

Fo Real wrote: »

I've seen ads on TV encouraging young people to talk about their problems to foster good mental health.

HSE did an excellent ad earlier this year. A young lad who wouldn't talk to anyone and withdrew from everyone and at the end he pulls off the hood on his jumper and it was the narrator

Ah, that's a sketchy explanation of it, I don't remember it all but I remember at the time it left an impact and was well produced

Maybe more of these can be produced. It gave a website and helpline at the end

RobAMerc wrote: »

+1 - How many single vehicle/ occupant crashes are really accidents ?
I'm not saying all are - but I imagine a fair amount are people deciding that's the mode they wish to use to end it.

We'll never know but it happens alright. I started a thread in Humanities which got swiftly locked, wrong forum said the mod, fair enough
Anyway, I got a few pm's from college students who have papers and studies on this

Denerick

I'm rather skeptical about this. There are very good charities on the ground dealing with this, I suspect the government would simply get in the way.

Governments cannot prevent suicides. They cannot stop people wanting to take their own life. Why must we constantly see the government as the sole solution for all of socieites problems? Especially since they have consistently demonstrated their inabilities in such a spectacular way?

CokaColumbo

RobAMerc wrote: »

Can someone tell me why the government hasn't bothered to invest money putting even one advert on the telly regarding suicide ... suicide is a much bigger killer here, and with the number of people running into financial trouble coz of the recess

Because lamb tastes so good ffs. The government does not have its priorities in order.

syklops

In my opinion, what should happen, is the various public health quangos(RSA, FSA, IWS, etc.) should be folded into one organisation whose job it is to make the public aware about a range of health issues from road safety to depression.

In a country of 5 million-ish, we dont need 3 different agencies dedicated to public awareness of specific health issues, we need one agency that can dynamically create new an different campaigns quickly and easily.

Irish Water Safety, for example put an ad on the telly during the summer months, and distribute leaflets to swimming pools. What do they do for the other 9 months of the year? I don't mean to belittle the work they do, I just think more could be achieved with a different model.

i_love_toast

Its not even ads that spending should be for but clinics where people can call into to get the therapy that they desperately need.

In my opinion suicide is something that can be prevented in most cases and those people that die from it are completely incident. But to spend so much money on speeding and drink driving which kill people through arrogance, ignorance and there own stupidity sickens me. I'm sick of hearing people die on the roads and especially when its an innocent by stander. People who go around speeding on poorly lit country roads and drink drive are not worth the millions spent to prevent them doing so. And theres always some poor soul thats walking home or driving to the airport in the middle of the night that gets killed by these utter sickening ars*holes speeding or drink driving.

I wish to god that there was a decent budget spent for the poor souls who find themselves falling into a depression and do not have clinics to turn to to get the professional help they need to climb back out. Truely awful really...

mikom

RobAMerc wrote: »

Can someone tell me why the government hasn't bothered to invest money putting even one advert on the telly regarding suicide

Bertie did one a while back.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfjGSfuSQpA

mikemac

As said there are charities out there doing excellent work in this area.
www.3ts.ie is an example, bualadh bos for them and they are just one example

Might be worthwhile to let the government give funds to them and let them do their work instead of having government departments doing it. Of course they should oversee and account for the money though

irishh_bob

i_love_toast wrote: »

Its not even ads that spending should be for but clinics where people can call into to get the therapy that they desperately need.

In my opinion suicide is something that can be prevented in most cases and those people that die from it are completely incident. But to spend so much money on speeding and drink driving which kill people through arrogance, ignorance and there own stupidity sickens me. I'm sick of hearing people die on the roads and especially when its an innocent by stander. People who go around speeding on poorly lit country roads and drink drive are not worth the millions spent to prevent them doing so. And theres always some poor soul thats walking home or driving to the airport in the middle of the night that gets killed by these utter sickening ars*holes speeding or drink driving.

I wish to god that there was a decent budget spent for the poor souls who find themselves falling into a depression and do not have clinics to turn to to get the professional help they need to climb back out. Truely awful really...

being killed in a traffic accident is ( IMO ) much worse than dieing by suicide , the person who dies in a traffic accidident didnt choose to die but then again i have some very unconventional views on the whole area of suicide

johnmcdnl

ok this is probably going to sound like I have a heart of stone but here it is anyways

if you commit suicide you die and yes maybe your friends and family will suffer emotionally but that is all - your not killing someone else...

a young driver driving round the back roads at 200000 mph looses control and kills himself and his passenger and for good measure a pedestrian who was unfortunate enough to be walking past..

see the difference - sucide leads to the death of you yourself only
car crash can kill other innocent people who have nothing got to do with the incident...

if the government can only afford one ad campaign and it saves 1-2 ordinary people from being killed by a dangerous driver then it's worth it - for all you know 1 of those adds may have made a young lad think for even 10 seconds as he drove past you which may have saved your life....

suicide adds wouldn't help people suffering from depression as seeing the ads would probably end up making it worst for the person because all those adds are so so so so so downcast...

irishh_bob

agree with the above post

being killed on the road is a very public death where as suicide is the most deeply personal of all deaths , ive never bought into the idea that the goverment can put a halt to the number of people who take thier own lives , i always tune out when i hear some politician claiming he or she will make it thier top priority

aidan24326

RobAMerc wrote: »

+1 - How many single vehicle/ occupant crashes are really accidents ?
I'm not saying all are - but I imagine a fair amount are people deciding that's the mode they wish to use to end it.

Sometimes it can be difficult or even impossible to tell, but I think studies done in America a while back concluded that a few percent of single-vehicle accidents (in particular) were probably suicides.

Not a way I'd choose to do it tbh, it leaves the danger that you might just break your upper spine, survive and be completely paralysed.

As far as I know suicide here is the number one cause of death among young males, and true to form I've known three young guys in the 25-35 age bracket who killed themselves over the last couple of years, all from the same area. How you prevent it I don't know though, if somebody decides they're going to do it then maybe they can't be stopped.