Tag Archives: mental health

Few people celebrate the summer solstice these days but a special event will take place in Shannon to mark it this occasion. “Shannon Mental Health Association and SkyCourt Shopping Centre are combining to hold a summer solstice event to promote positive mental health. It’ll be in the Food Court at SkyCourt on Monday, June  from 9pm until around 11.30pm. There will be music and entertainment and refreshment. “The idea is to promote good mental health. The solstice has been identified by Mental Health Ireland nationally so the Shannon branch is having this local event. People will be given cards and they can write their wishes for their mental health and well-being on them for the coming year,” Tony McMahon, PRO of the Shannon Mental Health Association, outlined. Tony added, “It’s a social event, a sort of a get-together, a celebration of mental well-being. There won’t be anything therapeutic but there will be information available about Mental Health Ireland.” Speaking about the Shannon …

The Union of Students in Ireland is calling on newly-appointed Minister for Health Simon Harris to reverse the diversion of €12 million from Mental Health Services announced by his predecessor. USI highlighted the dangers in a protest outside the Dáil. “Over 120,000 people took part in the Pieta House’s Darkness into Light walks last Saturday,” USI president, Kevin Donoghue, said. “The annually increasing numbers of people who come out in the early hours of the morning to support Pieta House’s Darkness into Light reflects how Irish people want mental health to be prioritised. The Government needs to prioritise mental health too. This diversion of funds will cost lives. It sends the message that mental health services can wait for funding, but it does not match the reality of the demand. It is an urgent problem at crisis point, requiring urgent action.” USI is calling on Simon Harris to reverse the diversion of the €12 million which was ring-fenced for Mental …

AN Ennis mental health support centre is on the brink of closure unless funding can be secured. An extraordinary general meeting takes place in Emotions Peer Support Centre on Monday at 12 noon to see if funding can be secured to save the facility. Since the centre opened in May 2012, it has had 7,200 visits from people seeking support from volunteers. It costs about €18,500 to run the centre annually, which pays for expenses including rent, electricity and other items. Liam Minogue of Emotions Peer Support said the centre has been a huge success. He said the HSE staff have participated in a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) Peer Support Group workshop at the centre, which could be provided for clients in day facilities run by the HSE in Ennis, Shannon, Lisdoonvarna, Ennistymon and Kilrush. He said the drop-in centre had provided a vital lifeline for hundreds of people experiencing mental health or psychological difficulties. Stating that closing the …

An investment of approximately €700,000 per year will see Jigsaw provide a new mental health service for young people in the Mid West. News of the investment was announced by Kathleen Lynch, Minister for Mental Health, Social Care and Primary Care and recruitment of a Project Manager for the Limerick project will commence in February. Jigsaw will provide early intervention and prevention services and also help to integrate existing resources to better support youth mental health. Minister for Education and Skills and Labour TD for Limerick City, Jan O’Sullivan, warmly welcomed the establishment of the new youth mental service for Limerick. “Jigsaw is a fantastic service, provided by the organisation Headstrong.  It is already making a very positive impact on youth mental health in ten communities across the country and I am delighted that my colleague Minister Kathleen Lynch has provided the funding to extend the service to Limerick this year.” “Jigsaw is based on the principle of “somewhere to …

Minister of State at the Department of Health Kathleen Lynch, has launched a campaign aims to get everyone talking about mental health. Suicide or Survive (SOS) is calling on everyone in Clare to get involved in the High Tea and Talk campaign in September and start talking about mental health. SOS has been running the campaign for three years, and this year it’s going to be even bigger with more people supporting it across every county nationwide. World Suicide Prevention Day takes place on Thursday, September 10 and to mark it SOS, with the support of Newstalk and Rabo Direct, the straight talking savings bank, will be bringing ‘High Tea and Talk’ to the nation for the month of September, in the hope of raising awareness and opening up the conversation around mental health. SOS wants to encourage the entire nation to take some time out and have a cup of tea with friends, family or workmates and when doing …

Scariff adventurer Joanne Treacy has sucessfully raised money for a national mental health charity, climbing 26 peaks in 10 days in the process. While donations are still being collected this week, the London-based neuroscientist believes the final amount should be in the region of €6,500. Joanne is thrilled with the figure raised for the Headstrong charity and the public awareness her peaks challenge has generated about the help that is available for people suffering from mental illness and depression. Although Joanne said she was physically and mentally tired at the end of her charity climbs, she was energised by the huge support she received from family, friends and other hill walking enthusiasts who joined her in the different challenges. Having climbed Knockboy in Cork and Carrauntoohil on Saturday, Joanne travelled to Twomilegate a few miles from Killaloe, where she climbed Molussa, the highest peak in Clare, with a group of 30 people. One girl got up at 5am to join …

While there was a drop in the suicide rate in Ireland in 2014 compared to the previous year, a long-time advocate on the issue has warned against complacency. Central Statistics Office data has confirmed that 459 deaths by suicide were registered in 2014, compared to 475 in 2013. “A reduction of any kind is to be welcomed, but very cautiously,” said Limerick TD Dan Neville, founder of the Irish Association of Suicidology. The chairman of the Fine Gael party said, “Any indication of a downward trend in the rate of suicide must be welcomed but when it comes to suicide, we must always question the accuracy of the figures. It is a fact that in some cases a definite cause of death cannot be determined and a number of these cases could be suicide. This has always been the case however, so we can accept that the trend is moving downwards, though it still remains unacceptably high. “Males accounted for …

A call has been made for countrywide support for a march for suicide prevention and mental health awareness that is taking place in Dublin this Saturday. Organised by Action for Suicide Prevention, the march will set out at 2pm from the Garden of Remembrance and finish at Dáil Eireann where there will be various speakers and musicians. Action for Suicide Prevention was set up to put a spotlight firmly back on the lack of support and funding to the mental health services in Ireland. Spear headed by two young men, Luke Clerkin (23) from Tallaght and Jamie Harrington (16) from Ballymun, the group’s aim is to highlight the Government’s lack of support to the mental health services in Ireland and to also let people suffering in silence know that they are not alone! Saturday’s event is their one year anniversary march for suicide prevention and mental health awareness. They want Government funding for Teen-Line Ireland to be restored, and for …