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KERRY CORONER TERENCE Casey says that Donal Walsh’s appeal to young people about suicide has “considerably reduced” suicides in Kerry.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Casey said “Donal speaking out in the way he did has made a huge difference. I usually deal with 18 suicides a year, about 1 and a half a month on average. But since Donal spoke out against suicide, I have had no suicides from March to August”.
Casey said that it was a “great change” and one he said he hoped would continue.
Donal Walsh
Teenager Donal Walsh, who died from terminal cancer in May of this year, inspired many when he wrote an article on the issue of teen suicide. He went on RTE’s The Saturday Night Show and called on teens not to take their own lives.
What Donal did has had a great affect on the suicide rates in Kerry, it really has had a massive affect. I think him being able to speak to his peers in the way he did has made a difference. The figures look very good.
The National Office for Suicide Prevention released it annual report recently, where it stated that over three year intervals, Kerry had seen an upward trend in suicides since 2004.
The report gives the rate of suicide deaths per 100,000 population across the country. It shows that Kerry had an average of 11.3 from 2004-2006, which rose to 15.5 from 2008-2010.
Suicide figures
Speaking about the report, Casey said that while it was good to investigate the numbers, he said the report was outdated. “That report only goes up until 2010. Both 2010 and 2011 were bad years, 2012 got a bit better and now in 2013 I am seeing a turnaround”.
While he said he had three suicides last August, he believed that speaking out about suicide and not making it a taboo subject has made difference over the last few years. He added:
I started speaking about it a few years ago and over the last few years there have been a lot of campaigns and awareness about the subject.I think it is important that more people speak out about it and their experiences. I commend Donal’s parents for raising such a great lad, who was strong enough to speak about suicide and make a difference.
In memory of Donal, his family recently set up the Donal Walsh #Livelife Foundation.
Samaritans is available for anyone in any type of distress. You can call them on 1850 60 90 90 in the Republic of Ireland or 08457 90 90 90 in Northern Ireland or by email at jo@samaritans.org.
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While I sympathise with Donal’s family and friends and was saddened by his illness and what he went through I don’t believe that what he said had such a big impact on the rate of suicide.
While he was young and brave I feel that what he said made old fashioned beliefs popular in Ireland. Depression is a serious illness. People who haven’t been depressed have no idea what it feels like. It’s not a selfish illness. Suicide is not a simple way out.
While I admire his cause to try and prevent suicide I feel that people that are depressed will never look at someone who is physically sick and feel lucky. They’re fighting to feel better too.
Louise.. You say people who are depressed are fighting to feel better too.. I agree with you there.. Yet you are doubtful if Donal has had any impact on the suicide rates. I am just thinkin that maybe some of those people who are depressed have sought help and have been saved from suicide by Donals words of inspiration.
I would have agreed fully prior to this article Louise. But if in fact he has had some impact on the suicide rates in Kerry then much can be learned from it by those working with people vulnerable to it.
Well said
depression is a cancer of the spirit, and while its probably easy to blame austerity and unemployment for the current high numbers,I was surprised at the amount of people In employment who took the final step.Hopefully that young man will have made people thInk again,but as you said people tend to see their own troubles to the point of exclusion of everything else.
If you have gone through it the fact you’re on this site means you’re winning…best wishes for the future.
Totally agree with you, all it did was take old-fashioned beliefs about mental illness/depression and broadcast them for all to hear.
Depression knows no boundaries when it comes to who it picks; it’s not about “I’m feeling sad over one simple thing, think I’ll kill myself”. It’s so so much more complex than that.
I have every sympathy for Donal’s family, but he never should have been stuck on a soapbox with such skewed views on the subject.
@sinead I don’t believe that the data is accurate. It’s a coroners opinion and I believe it to be coincidence rather than fact. I was actually rather insulted by what Donal said, however I know the intention was there and he mean’t well. It definitely made popular old fashioned that feelings should be dismissed and you should fell lucky to just be alive. I’d be very surprised that anyone that agreed with Donal and believes the article has gone through depression. Maybe his choice of words were bad
I agree in many ways he didn’t help matters though as you say it was well intentioned. But depression is not the only cause of suicide. There are many other factors too.
If the coroner is right, impossible to prove likely, but if he’s right and Donal has slowed the suicide rate it would be unwise to ignore that.
Many of people have died in families, I know they have in mine and other family members and local people have committed suicide. They coroners report is to vague. It’s like saying watching cancer patience is the cure for depression. Trust me live with depression for a day and then and only then you will find out how hard it is. No disrespect to Donal admirable strong young man, good role model for anybody :)
Btw Louise is speaking some serious truth there. Same page as her!
I do agree with you Louise, being told to cheer up it might never happen or those old fashioned views on depression are not welcome, its so hard for someone who doesn’t suffer to comprehend depression. Although having said that, the teenage years are so complex and often emotional and school can be quite traumatic for many teens, you don’t have to be depressed to kill yourself. I think support is so important for any teenager and if Donal lifted the spirit of some teenagers in kerry making them better able to deal with their situation then its very positive.
John.. I have often wondered that myself.. Are all teenagers who die by suicide suffering from depression? I think probably not. Some are i am sure. At that age we were ill equipped to deal with our present and at the same time be expected to plan for our future.. I think many teenagers are terribly scared and dont have the know how to deal with bullying, broken relationships, unemployment, sex etc etc.. I know i was one of those teenagers..
It does help enormously when you have an older person to reach out to for reassurance..
I suppose that was Donals message. Maybe he didnt say it well. But he got people talking. And thats no bad thing
I think you hit the nail on the head there, great guy with a great heart, but his words don’t really translate to people suffering from depression.
At the same time, he did at least begin a discussion on a subject that for too many years has been brushed under the carpet, which is a step in the right direction.
This lad has got people talking about something that was such a “taboo” for quiet along time. It’s embarrassing to even comprehend you’ve a mental problem despite how obvious it is and it’s not nice having to ask for help, and why? Well it’s cause of the stigma surrounding it. Even for an 18 year old lads like myself. :/ but conversation has sparked and many like these will remove the stigma by educating others and this is when we feel more comfortable asking for help and that’s when suicide rates drop. Donal meant well and in the end something good has come from his words.
Lauren that is the whole point ; he broadcast them ; and he also displayed to the world that one thing that escapes most people
” No matter how bad things are in your head there is a wonderful world out there and perhaps more importantly ; there’s always, always someone who is going through what you are going through and in many cases , in the broader scheme of things, they may have it alot worse.
That’s the way I see it …………could be wrong , but there’s nothing wrong with being wrong , except perhaps believing that the whole world judges you on it , which of course it doesn’t, it’s too busy dealing with its own crap !
He got people talking, talking, talking. Survey or no Survey, it will have some impact, even if it’s small one. Personally I think it will have a big impact. Even outside of depression, he made many people look at their own problems and hopefully getting them to reach out. Suicide figures in this country are a joke, they are way higher than what is been reported. This guy left a great legacy, an unbelievable young man.
@ Louise Keogh
Donal called the suicidal “people who think they have a problem”
now imagine if someone had said that about Donal and all the other people battling cancer
suicide is a real problem and we need a real solution
Donal wasn’t qualified to talk about it full stop
Donal was a brave guy. But short term analysis of suicide data and attributing what is most likely natural variation to a specific cause data is questionable.
It doesn’t matter if Donal didn’t stop suicide complety but quite a few teens have gotten help after listening to Donal. He received many letters after he went on tv from teens who got help for their depression/suicidal thoughts because of him.
Inspirational.
Hero.
I just listened to his parents on Today FM. Heartbreaking. They mentioned the hundreds of people who contacted them from all around the country, saying that what Donal had said had inspired them to get help. Maybe the decrease in suicide in the Kerry area is linked to Donal and his message and maybe it’s not, but isn’t it great that in his own situation he wanted to help others. Some of the comments about what he had to say are a little harsh given he was only 16 years old.
Legend!!! What a great story!!!
Can’t believe people are actually arguing about this! Any decrease in suicide is welcome regardless of the reason. I doubt its possible to ever attribute the fall to any one thing in isolation but its a fall in numbers and that alone is great and may that downward trend continue across the country.
rubbish
I went and watched Donal’s Saturday Live interview before commenting, hadn’t seen it before. His father summed him up very well – ‘he’s a giant’. Donal was a very rare and extraordinary person. He had in spades that old quality that does not seem to exist anymore – integrity. And almost unfathomable courage. As a 16 year old facing his imminent death I think he had every right to talk about life and death and everything in between. Anyway I don’t think he said anything objectionable. Maybe he didn’t fully understand depression but so what? He made the point that help is there. Samaritans number was flashed on the screen. Seeking help and talking can change a person’s mind about suicide, I know this personally. Not for everyone, but for many . If the report of the decrease in suicides in Kerry is accurate, then he has done a great service to us. Rest in peace Donal, you were indeed a giant.
As someone who has lived with depression in the past I can say I felt quite insulted by Donal and his opinion of Suicidal people. I understand that he was young and meant well but his whole message seemed to be you should count yourself as lucky because I have a physical disease. The comparisons made between his terminal illness and someone considering suicide were unfair and I believe they did more harm as they could make people feel that their mental health issues were not as important as his cancer. However, the national media should not have allowed him to receive the coverage he got on such a sensitive issue.
I agree with Louise and Lauren entirely.
RIP Donal, you helped alot of people and you definitely made me realise life is too short and to grab it with both hands.
Grab life?
Life cannot be ‘grabbed’. It can’t even be known. You can try to grab the story of your life, make it better and more pleasurable, maybe. But life itself? You don’t even know what that is.
People suicide because their life story isn’t working out or because the pain is too much. Don’t blame life, blame the story.
Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
That phrase is overused and misunderstood, sometimes depression and mental health issues are not a temporary problem but a life long illness.
Perhaps it was the general discussion afterward, the opening up of discussion about suicide as a reaction to what he said has made a difference. Highlighting services etc
I don’t think what he said was completely helpful to be honest, but perhaps it did contribute to greater discussion which has led to more people seeking help.
It will be interesting to see the actual figures when they’re compiled.
He is a hero, because he taught people to cherish life.
@ Louise. Agree 100% will your comment. I too was shocked at the interview and at Brendan O’ Connors agreement of the snap out of it attitude. Not to take a bit of Donal’s goodness and bravery away from him. He was an amazing inspiration. I do think there is still a small bit of ‘get over it ‘ syndrome in certain pockets of society. When the reality is that mental illness, depression in particular is an insidious disease. Hopefully the debate and discussion that followed Donal’s interviews and his untimely death did help some sufferers to discuss problems and feelings more openly.
Maybe he was appealing to the selfish ones who just do it because something clicked,or had a bad experience there are people aswell who do it who don’t have depression,there is another way
@ Michelle Mc Loughney
30,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed every year in this country. why was Donal singled out?
Even if he saved one person or made one person think twice his courage should be praised!!!
What an absolute top man he was,May he rest in peace!
Steve White …explain?
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