Mental health – and suicide – are, sadly, big issues in Fermanagh and our online poll shows that most people believe more help could be provided, writes Ryan Smith…
IT IS no surprise that the issue of mental health is one that engages people in County Fermanagh.
In the past number of years there has been a high number of reported deaths by suicide here, while Lifeline has recorded a marked increase in calls to their services here in the past 12 months.
In a poll carried out online by the Fermanagh Herald on our website, a massive 83% of people said that there is not enough being done to tackle mental health issues and suicide here.
Just 5% answered ‘Yes’ to the question, while 11% of respondents answered ‘Don’t know’.
What can be derived from this poll are a number of points.
The first is that mental health is a prominent issue here.
Such a huge vote voicing concern about how mental health is being treated shows that there is widespread recognition by people in the county that mental health and suicide are isues that urgently need addressing.
It could be argued, however, that the majority answering ‘no’ could fall into two categories: those who are simply unaware of what is being done to address mental health issues, and those who may be better informed yet still remain concerned that more needs to be done.
Health professionals may take the view that the public at large are not engaged with mental health issues in the way that they might be with other aspects of healthcare, partly because of the continuing way society here still views mental health.
The view may be that there is still a high degree of ignorance across the community when it comes to mental health and how it is treated.
That said, our poll shows that the Western Health Trust clearly has a job of work to do: whatever the arguments about the validity of people’s views on mental healthcare, the perception out there is that not enough is being done about an aspect of healthcare which, sadly, for some of us has become a matter of life and death.
If you or someone you know is in distress or despair, call Lifeline free on 0808 808 8000. This is a confidential service, where trained counsellors will listen and help immediately on the phone and follow up with other support if appropriate. The helpline is available 24/7. www.lifelinehelpline.info.
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