March 12, 2012
Mental Health
Students urged to talk if feeling down
Irish Examiner (Wednesday, 07 March 2012)
The importance of talking to someone if you are feeling down or have concerns about one of your friends was highlighted at a conference for second-level students aimed at breaking the stigma surrounding suicide.
Mental Ill Health
Parents likely to pass emotional problems to child
Irish Examiner (Friday, 09 March 2012)
Children of parents with depression, or where there is an unhappy relationship between a mother and father, are more likely to have emotional or behavioural problems, a wide-ranging study has found.
Surge in teens seeking help for self-harm, says charity
Irish Examiner (Tuesday, 06 March 2012)
The number of people under the age of 18 seeking help for self-harm has surged over the first two months of this year, according to the chief executive of a charity for the prevention of seif-harm and suicide.
Mental Health Service
HSE accused of letting down psychiatric patients
Clare People (Tuesday, 06 March 2012)
Friends of patients staying at Clare mental health facilities have raised concerns that changing the use of the units and moving the patients will cause undue distress.
'No plan' for those who want to come off anti-depressants
Irish Examiner (Tuesday, 06 March 2012)
Limerick-based Dr Terry Lynch, au- thor of the controversial book Beyond Prozac, told the Irish Examiner that just as the medical profession had admitted that benzodiazepines were addictive and harmful in some cases, he believed the same could happen with commonly used anti-depressants known as SSRIs.
Staffing issues threaten new dementia facility
Clare People (Tuesday, 06 March 2012)
A state-of-the-art dementia unit, which was refurbished two years ago by the HSE at a cost of almost quarter of a million euro, remains closed to the county's 1,300Alzheimer's patients.
Hillery seeks new health forum for Clare
Clare Champion (Friday, 02 March 2012)
A Clare Fianna Fail General Election candidate has called for the establishment of a new health forum to produce the best model of care for acute hospital and community services in the county.
Bed reduction claim refuted by HSE
Clare Champion (Friday, 02 March 2012)
Mid-West HSE has rejected union claims that up to 19 beds will be removed from the Acute Psychiatric Unit at Ennis hospital as part of the reorganisation of the Clare Mental Health Service.
Suicide Prevention
Pieta House hires more therapists
Liffey Champion, Page 10, 10-Mar-2012
Pieta House has announced plans this week to hire more therapists and create more treatment rooms as part of an immediate action plan due to rising demand for services.
Adam steps in to help battle suicide
Sunday Independent, Page 8, 11-Mar-2012
U2's Adam Clayton is lending a helping hand — or rather foot — in the fight to lower suicide rates in Ireland. The bassist has signed up to support "Walk in my Shoes', an organisation which aims to provide free mental health services for young adults in Ireland.
