‘It’s happening, and it’s a community problem’ - more needs to be done for suicide prevention in Limerick

THROUGH her work as a psychotherapist, Pieta House Midwest Centre Manager, Nora Conway has seen what suicidal thoughts can do to people.

In 2007, she met the founder of Pieta, Joan Freeman, with a proposal to open the first centre outside of Dublin. Following a three-year fundraising and awareness campaign, Pieta House Mid-West opened its door in December 2010 – the first centre outside the capital.

“During the fundraising campaign, we were raising funds to bring the centre to Limerick, but we were also creating awareness about the need for a service like Pieta. There was a need for a suicide prevention centre in the Midwest region, and for the people of Limerick and throughout,” Nora said.

As she worked as a bereavement therapist for many years, Nora saw first-hand why there was a need for such a service.

“I’ve never been affected by suicide, but like everybody else, I know many people who have. I was very inspired by Joan and what she had achieved. Having worked with so many amazing people who’d been bereaved by suicide down through the years, we can see the difference it makes in people’s lives.”

Nora believes more has to be done in terms of prevention. Since Pieta Midwest opened in 2010, the team has seen thousands of people walk through the doors.

“It is happening, and it is a community problem. So, we need to do something as a community to prevent deaths,” she said.

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Speaking of why people walk through Pieta’s doors, she explained: “There are many reasons people come to us. They are experiencing thoughts of suicide, they may have attempted suicide, or may be engaging in self-harm, and they may have lost their loved one to suicide.”

The organisation works to provide professional counselling in a safe, caring, and compassionate environment. As part of their service, they provide up to 12 sessions free of charge.

“I want people to know that this service is available to them and that it is free of charge. We’re facing difficult times, and it can be hard to afford therapy. That’s why this service is free of charge, so that we can see anybody who finds themselves in crisis, so they're not burdened by cost.”

According to Nora, her work is psycho-educational because it’s about “going back to the basics.”

“What helped you before when you found yourself in trouble? We empower people to make choices that can make a difference in their life and help them tap into their resilience,” she stated.

Over the past year, Nora says there has been an increase for Pieta’s services.

“At the moment, we've seen an increase. There’s always a huge demand for it, but it fluctuates from time to time, and in the last 12 months it has fluctuated again.”

During Covid, the team was able to provide over the phone and videos services, as it was not possible to provide face-to-face sessions. Even though the in-person sessions are possible again, they still provide remote options.

At the moment, the organisation is looking to hire people who can work with children and adolescents.

“We’re also seeing an increase in young people looking for bereavement counselling. Unfortunately, they also have thoughts of suicide and may be self-harming, or they find themselves in a space where they feel hopeless. I suppose it's hard to understand why somebody so young would feel hopelessness and would find it difficult to cope, but there are a lot of things going on for young people at the moment.

”

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Even though it’s difficult to work with people experiencing such hardships, Nora finds her work rewarding.

“We see people coming in here very often in despair, wanting to leave this world, and we see them walking out with their head held high now having reasons for living and having hope, and knowing now that they can cope with whatever is happening in their life, that they can find a way to it.”

The psychotherapist wants people to know they’re not alone

“I think it’s very important that we encourage people to talk about what's going on with them. Whether that’s amongst friends or family, once you talk about something, it’s made easier straight away. It's the silence that can be very dangerous.”

According to Nora, we have to normalise not feeling OK.

“There are times when we don't feel OK. We have to lift the stigma around suicide and self-harm, and become aware of our mental health, how we think and how we process.”

If you have been affected by this article contact any of the following organisations: Samaritans: 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org; Aware: 1800 80 48 48; Pieta: 1800 247 247 or email mary@pieta.ie