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Updated, 18:16
THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE of the humanitarian charity GOAL, John O’Shea, is to step down from his position next month, after the High Court was today told that his attempts to stop the charity’s board from removing him had been settled.
In a statement this evening O’Shea, 68, said he had decided to step down as CEO, a post he had held since founding the charity himself in 1977.
“I wish to express my profound thanks to many thousands of individuals who have helped me in my efforts to alleviate the suffering of some of the poorest people on the planet,” O’Shea said.
“Helping the downtrodden, the deprived and the destitute was an honour and a privilege.”
GOAL said it hoped to “explore opportunities to collaborate with John for the betterment of the organisation given John’s vast experience and expertise”, and thanked O’Shea for his “astonishing work and contribution to GOAL”.
“Since 1977 GOAL has delivered over $1bn in aid and emergency relief programmes to the poorest of poor in over 50 countries, saving tens of thousands of lives and improving countless others,” it said.
Trade and development minister Joe Costello paid tribute to the “exceptional humanitarian work and the leadership” O’Shea had shown, saying GOAL had made a “significant contribution to emergency humanitarian action and longer term development efforts”.
Details of the settlement reached between the sides have not been disclosed.
The Irish Times said the High Court had been informed this afternoon that the dispute between O’Shea and GOAL’s board had been settled following “lengthy discussion” between lawyers for both sides.
O’Shea had secured a temporary order against his removal earlier this month, rejecting complaints of “institutionalised bullying” within the organisation, calling them “false and concocted”.
Additional reporting by Emer McLysaght
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As far as I can see there are two functions of a death certificate. One is to legally prove that a person is no longer living and from what date that has been the case. The second is to record the cause of death.
There is no reason why someone who only needs the first information should also have access to the second – regardless of the cause of death.
Trisha Mooney makes a good point and fair deuce to her for speaking up. Good on you.
Trisha may make a good point as far as some people are concerned. Some families would balk at the idea of a death cert having suicide recorded on it.
A short cert would not need to have cause of death stated at all. All that is needed is a certification that the person is dead.
A cousin of mine did the same thing 5 years ago. Depression is a terrible thing my heart goes out to people with this illness. You are not alone seek help
I can understand this lady’s point, and thank God not from personal experience. Technically her son died from the same cause as someone who was executed 60 years ago. This isn’t something you want as a reminder on official documentation. His death is reminder enough that he was tormented, let alone the method he chose…
Ever since Robin Williams death I watched a massive drive to push prescribed psychoactive drugs eg “anti-depressants”. While some people may feel they benefit from these drugs, and not forgetting the placebo effect, there have been many that have been harmed or killed by this mythical biomedical model. You are basically told that if you take a pill it will “rebalance neurotransmitters”. The glossy brochures are sponsored by Pharma companies that make millions from this mythology. I have yet to meet anyone that have had their neurotransmitters tested before or after taking these drugs. And I myself developed mania / “psychosis” after taking the SSRI Citalopram. For others it can lead to suicide or violence. Even homicide.
In the UK a man called Brian, whose son took his own life on Citalopram, keeps a record of those killed by this flawed biomedical model. In fairness if the drugs worked, then why are there so many dead people? 53 million prescriptions in England for anti-depressants in 2013. Up 25% in 3 years. Not sure of the exact statistics here.
I think it’s time we start keeping a better record of how prescribed psychoactive drugs contributed to people’s death and possibly recording this on death certs. Plus also other drugs ~ alcohol and illegal ones. Then we might get a truer picture of what’s going on. But considering some coroners are doctors and the massive billion dollar pharma industry in this country, what are the chances of this happening ?
UK ~ deaths in the UK connected to SSRI use ~ http://antidepaware.co.uk/
A reputable drug safety website that Psychiatrist / Psychopharmacologist Prof David Healy set up ~
http://www.rxisk.org
(1,777 suicides recorded in the side effects A – Z (completed suicides) for Citalopram alone. Not forgetting all the other SSRIs}
After I had an adverse reaction to Citalopram, I was pumped with several other and some very strong drugs ~ Zyprexa, Seroquel, Lamictal, Lithium, Rivotril and the list goes on. Don’t even get me started on how these drugs negatively affected my mental/physical health and Quality of Life. I am now off most of these drugs 3 years but should not have been put through the torturous journey I went through by the medical profession and mainstream Psychiatry. There was really only one Psychiatrist I met in Ireland who told me the TRUTH and that was Prof Ivor Browne. Now 85. With 60 years of experience behind him of all people he should know. Thanks Ivor. Glad to know that I am not “mentally ill” and that most of the serious problems I encountered were drug related. Even if some side effects remain.
Mental / physical health requires daily work. Today I will do mediation with Deepak Chopra online, Yoga with Sky 282, watch my diet, read etc And get offline. For me, while some drugs helped when used short term, there is no pill that cure LIFE. When is needed is more emphasis on the Psychosocial model and less on the biomedical model. Open Dialogue, WRAP plans (Wellness Recovery Action Plan), therapy etc
There was one person in the ‘mental health system’ that helped a lot. That was the Occupational Therapist.
{Never stop or change prescribed psychoactive drugs without talking to a good doctor, due to the dangers of withdrawal}
For those in distress who need someone to talk to. You do not need to be suicidal to talk to people in the Samaritans ~
Samaritans ~ 116 123 or find your local office ~ http://www.samaritans.org/your-community/samaritans-work-ireland/samaritans-branches-ireland
1Life ~ 1800 247 100 http://www.1life.ie/
I have been taking citralopram for the last 6 years,I was on the highest dose originally and am now on 20g daily,thankfully it works for me without any negative side effects..as for the death certificate I agree that the teachers etc don’t need to know those details
I was on Citalopram for 3 years before the mania / “psychosis” kicked in. I realise not everyone has an adverse reaction to the drug and even some people may feel some benefit. But there is not enough recognition or very much empathy for the significant number of people damaged by these drug. There is no neurotransmitter test, so claiming it rebalances neurotransmitters is pseudo Science. There is however a placebo effect that goes with taking a pill that has been well documented by Irving Kirsch of Harvard University ~
he Emperor’s New Drugs: Exploding the Antidepressant Myth:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Emperors-New-Drugs-Antidepressant/dp/0465022006
There is also very little support for people to come off drugs. Some of us that wanted to do so were called “non-compliant”, “a’la carte” etc And incorrrect information is given on how to come off anti-depressants eg take t every 2nd day for a while, then every 3rd etc
I have done reading and research since and realise this s not the correct way. This is outlined by Psychiatrists like Prof David Healy and Dr Peter Breggin. Dr Healy has a very good document on Rxisk.org that explains the correct way ~ “Guide to Stopping Antidepressants”. The withdrawal symptoms can be very difficult for some. There are others who have been unable to stop due to the so called “discontinuation syndrome”.
There is also a black box warning on these drugs for 18 to 24 year olds on the FDA webpage:
“Antidepressants increased the risk compared to placebo of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in children, adolescents, and young adults in short-term studies of major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders”
Not forgetting that negative trials are hidden on these drugs.
So if someone if on these drugs and feels the benefits outweigh any risks then good for them. But I personally feel that I did not realise the risks and did not have proper informed consent. I also feel that what started off as panic and maybe mild/moderate depression is now more chronic from taking the drugs. This is described in medical journalist Robert Whitaker’s book “Anatomy of an Epidemic”. The natural mechanisms of my brain have been messed with. And while there have been lots of improvements the longer I am off all these drugs (including the ones I was put on after my reaction to Citalopram) I can still feel the aftermath.
People only want to hear the “Roses in the Garden” stories about these mind altering drugs. They are not interested in those damaged by over prescribing by GPs/Psychiatrists or killed. But what do I expect. Abuse of people with mental health issues is part of our DNA. Electric shock treatment and not so long ago high risk insulin induced comas and also lobotomies ! And leaving people unclaimed for decades or forever in asylums. As described eloquently in Hannah Greally’s book “Bird’s Nest Soup”. In some ways not a lot has changed.
At least some coroners are honest in their reporting eg in the very tragic case of Teresa Mullaney in Sligo. But in Ireland this is a rare thing. In Ms Mullaney’s case she gave her life to helping others as a nurse and was treated very badly in the end. Pumping someone with prescribed psychoactive drugs can and does kill ~ http://leoniefennell.wordpress.com/2014/02/28/teresa-mullaney-dr-desmond-moran-effexor-zeprexa-death/
Not forgetting all the homicides even in the past 8 months or so. Some carried out by people who were on “medication” or who had stopped (hence in withdrawal with can be dangerous). The scapegoat term “mental illness” comes in handy. It seems to distract the public and then the drugs are not seen as a big part of the problem. People who have mental health issues are generally no more violent than the rest of society, unless drugs or alcohol are involved. That includes prescribed drugs.
I can see why I have turned to a different country if I want intellectual conversations about mental health. Because this country questions very little. And accepts far too much as gospel. Well done to Brian in UK for all his good work in documenting the deaths over there. Maybe some day someone in Ireland might to do the same. As people seem oblivious to what is causing some of the carnage.
INQUESTS INVOLVING ANTIDEPRESSANTS England & Wales 2014 ~
I agree that it should be recorded as suicide and not hanging. I’m not sure about the short form death cert though as I feel that in a way it is inadvertently hiding the cause of death which is nothing to be ashamed of or hidden.
Suicide can be done in a number of ways, the cause of death tells you exactly how they died. It doesn’t give you a general idea, its medically exact.
My dad had 5 causes of death on his cert the primary cause of death was a massive abdominal hemorrhage. Second cause of death is what contributed to that hemorrhage and so on down to number 5. (Numbers 2-5 were contributing factors to number 1 but number 1 killed him – stopped his heart from beating)
He wasn’t a suicide.
Lily, I have no idea why you felt the need to point out that your father wasn’t a suicide but I am sorry for your loss
I think Lily was just being prudent, not being judgemental about suicide. On a thread about suicide a lot of people reading her comment might have assumed that suicide was one of the causes of her father’s death. I can understand why she clarified that.
It was clearly an abdominal hemorrhage as stated
The short cert is a good idea but when someone dies by whatever cause the cause of death has to be recorded correctly. Asphyxia should be sufficient on a death cert when they die by hanging. Who carried it out is irrelevant
Why bother even putting asphyxiation on the death cert? Utility companies dont need to know cause of death. Only the family need to know.
Because then you’re talking about removing the cause of death off the cert completely. That’s another matter. The short cert wouldn’t state the cause of death
Sorry I picked you up wrong. I thought you were saying asphyxiation should be on the short cert. My bad.
I assume if someone was stabbed to death they would put cause of death as stabbing rather than murder, because of course it may not have been murder. Similarly, with hanging, it is not always by suicide, and they can’t have death certs pending for ages while court cases etc are being resolved.
What about suicide by hanging then?
I see what you’re saying Dave, and of course people die by murder/suicide etc, but from a medical point of view its the method that is important.
I never thought of the point “it’s none of the teachers business how her father died”. It stands up also for murder or stabbing. Can the child not just produce a death cert for her father without the questions. Why was he stabbed or why was he hanged. Well done Trisha.
It is a very emotive subject of course. The medical cause of death does need to be recorded for many reasons. So the short and standard death cert should record the category (suicide/murder/accident/natural etc). A more detailed cert can be available on request.
In a stabbing, the death cert would read something more like cardiac arrest secondary to haemorrhage from stab wounds.
It is not always that clear, in the UK suicide is rarely recorded unless intent can be proved beyond reasonable doubt ( this normally means the presence of a suicide note). Unfortunately some vulnerable individuals may not have the capacity to make the choice whether they take their own life, this is why records of death rarely record suicide as that indicates an intentional act.
Personally I would prefer ‘asphyxia’ recorded on the cert instead of suicide. Suicide is a word I avoid using when describing a death at a person’s own hand, I use ‘took his/her own life’. There seems little need to record suicide on a death cert, asphyxia is fine.
Why do you avoid using the word suicide if the person died by the act of suicide??
You are absolutely right about families of bereaved families not liking the word suicide. I have come across this myself.
No matter what anyone says there is still a taboo and shame for some attached to a relative taking their own lives. “Non judgementalism” which you mentioned in another post Fred and the removal of the taboo may be part of the problem as Emile Durkheim alluded to 100 years ago.
This comment was in response to Fred O’Connor below.
http://cigognenews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/more-on-act-out-goodbye-robin-williams.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+arthurjanov+%28Arthur+Janov%27s+reflections+on+the+Human+Condition%29
It is as if he had no life before the age of six, no experience to explain changes in the brain. In other words, when they avoid basic need, they then have nothing to fall back on to explain embedded early pain. And then they have no means to explain the now ample research to shows how imprinted pain detours basic nerve roots and nerve tracks. So they fall back on empty lectures, calling in “experts” to explain addiction and/or depression with no reference to very early experience.
And so they go on searching and searching for areas of the brain to explain what can only be explained, not by those key areas, which only accompany experience, but by how early experience impacts the whole biologic and neurologic systems. How does hopelessness change brain function? Where does that hopeless/depression come from? Is it really deep in the brain? Yes it is down there but it does not start there; it begins with experience and what it does to our thinking apparatus years later.”
I can understand why she doesn’t want to see the word ‘hanging’ on her son’s death cert. But I’ve also heard bereaved family members talk about how they hate the word ‘suicide’ on the cert because it references a criminal act and no one wants to think of their dead child or brother as a criminal because they couldn’t cope with a mental health problem.
Suicide or attempted suicide are not crimes in Ireland, and have not been since it was decriminalised in 1993.
If you are going to post information on the subject perhaps you should clarify information for yourself before posting .
Suicide is NOT a criminal offence .
If was decriminalised in Ireland in 1993.
I am running a workshop for men on life skills for coping with depression anxiety etc e mail colet on ccdarcy@ eircom.net
Thank you Sinead.
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