Suicide awareness campaign coincides with inquest on victim

By JACQUELINE HOGGE THREE months after losing their son to suicide and hours before they attend the inquest into his death, the Roche family from Abbeyknockmoy will take part in a campaign to promote suicide prevention today (Wednesday).[private] Colin Roche was only 23 when he took his life at the family home last November. Since then his father, Pete, has taken every opportunity to speak out on the issue in a bid to make people think before they resort to such drastic action. Pete will be one of a panel of contributors to a special programme on Mid West Radio this morning from 9am where the issue of suicide prevention will be discussed. 'Mental health is too broad a term to describe what this is about as I believe it is an issue in only a minority of suicide cases,' said Pete. 'The majority of people carry out what is a spontaneous act and I'm convinced that if these people could only talk to someone before they do what they do, so many lives would be saved.' Pete, who is a member of Galway County Council, has spent the past few months speaking out on the issue through the media and has spoken to parents throughout the county in a bid to raise awareness of the issue. 'Young men in particular won't talk about their problems and people in general are often hopeless at expressing the need for help,' he said. 'But young people face a raft of challenges in the world today, be it their sexuality, relationships with loved ones, unemployment, work, school, whatever it may be. There is a plethora of reasons out there for people to feel despair but if we could change the mindset to allow them to reach out and seek help, then they wouldn't resort to such drastic action.' Pete, his wife Bridie and their three sons will attend the coroner's court in Headford this afternoon to hear the official inquest into Colin's death. 'People need to realise and understand the devastation suicide brings to a family, to a community and they need to know that it is not the only way to solve whatever problems they face,' he said. 'I firmly believe that even now, through the work I'm trying to do in raising awareness of suicide prevention, that Colin is with me. I also believe that if he could come back now and have the chance to do it again, he wouldn't. 'From speaking to people since Colin died, it seems to be those who are well adjusted and seem to have the least reasons to do such a thing are the ones taking their lives,' he said. 'The enormity of suicide is that it is a very permanent solution to what is a short term problem, which can be resolved with minimum difficulty if only the person seeks help. 'No person should think it is OK to take their life, that they won't be missed, or that the world will be better off without them. Every life is valuable and no one should harbour suicidal thoughts even for a second. I've no doubt people feel unloved or unwanted but these feelings are often a wrong reading of the situation. 'The campaign we're launching today on Mid West Radio is about promoting all the different agencies out there that people can turn to in times of crisis. 'Organisations like Console, through its 1life programme are doing major work, but more needs to be done. 'To consider suicide one is once too often and I urge anyone feeling overwhelmed by life to talk to someone, as there is always a way through.' â€Â¢ The 1Life helpline is free of charge and available 24 hours, seven days a week on 1800 247100. A text service is also available for one to one support by texting help to 51444. For further information log on to www.1life.ie. â€Â¢ Help is also available from the Samaritans on 091 - 561222.[/private]