A practical guide to suicide prevention

Everyone at some point will be affected by suicide. It might be the suicide of a neighbour, friend, colleague or family member; or the suicide of a well-known or public figure. Some of us might have suicidal thoughts. There are many causes of suicide and this means that one simple solution or single response will not be enough if we are to reduce the numbers of people acting on thoughts of suicide.

Coping with depression

Depression has a number of possible causes. For some people, it comes about as a result of a traumatic life event such as bereavement, relationship breakdown or financial difficulties. In other situations, the person may have an inherent tendency towards depression. Genetic factors can be key in the case of bipolar disorder, another type of mood disorder which involves periods of depression as well as periods of elation, where the mood is significantly higher than normal and the person may have
excessive energy, little need for sleep and may have grandiose ideas and engage in risk-taking behaviour.

Depression & Young people

Depression has a number of possible causes. For some people, it comes about as a result of a traumatic life event such as bereavement, relationship breakdown or financial difficulties. In other situations, the person may have an inherent tendency towards depression. Genetic factors can be key in the case of bipolar disorder, another type of mood disorder which involves periods of depression as well as periods of elation, where the mood is significantly higher than normal and the person may have
excessive energy, little need for sleep and may have grandiose ideas and engage in risk-taking behaviour.

Depression later in life

Worldwide, life expectancy is increasing. Currently about 10% of the world’s population is made up of older adults (aged 65 and above). This figure is set to rise steadily, to as much as 30% in some societies. To put this in context we need to look at some figures: in 1950 the population of the world’s elderly was 200 million and this is estimated to rise to 1.2 billion by 2025, a six fold increase in only 75 years. The most significant increase in older people living longer is found, not surprisingly, in developed countries like Ireland whose birth rate along with other European countries has been falling. For mental health, these changing shifts in our population structure, will mean an increase in conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, but also in depressive disorders. Depression affects about one in ten people aged over 65, making it the most common of the mental health disorders of later life.

Developing a Community Response to Suicide

A resource to guide those developing and implementing an Inter-Agency Community Response Plan for incidents of suspected suicide, particularly where there is a risk of clusters and/or contagion.

Keeping hope alive, guide for family & friends

If somebody close to you has become depressed, you will know by now that this is not a trivial condition. As illnesses go, it is under rated by those who have not experienced it, under reported by those who are in its grip, and because of these factors and others it is significantly under treated. Yet, one in three people have a full-blown depressive episode at some stage in their lives. In reality few, if any, people go through the different stages of life without some experience of depression.

Post Natal Depression

This information is for anyone who wants to know more about postnatal depression (PND for short).

We hope it will be helpful to:

•  women who have, or think they might have postnatal depression
•  pregnant women who are worried about getting postnatal depression
•  partners, family and friends.

Supporting people with depression

Depression has a number of possible causes. For some people, it comes about as a result of a traumatic life event such as bereavement, relationship breakdown or financial difficulties. In other situations, the person may have an inherent tendency towards depression. Genetic factors can be key in the case of bipolar disorder, another type of mood disorder which involves periods of depression as well as periods of elation, where the mood is significantly higher than normal and the person may have
excessive energy, little need for sleep and may have grandiose ideas and engage in risk-taking behaviour.