“You Can Do It - But You Can’t Do It Alone” produced by Ireland’s leading community-based mental health service

** Please click on booklet above to open in new window **

Former Governor of Mountjoy Prison John Lonergan and Director of the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention Geoff Day will be speaking at the launch of a special booklet produced by GROW, Ireland’s largest community-based mental health organisation.

The launch will take place on Monday, October 11th at a ceremony in Buswells Hotel in Dublin, coinciding with the opening day of World Mental Health Week, which runs from October 11 to 15.

The free booklet, which is called “You Can Do It - But You Can’t Do It Alone”, hopes to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues and suicidal thoughts.  It is aimed at young people (18 to 35 years old), and features testimony from young people who have been through difficult times and who have come out the other side.

The overarching message from GROW is that it is important to recognise the warning signs, and to act upon them – because most people can and do recover from mental health issues. This dovetails with the work carried out to date by the National Office for Suicide Prevention, which has recently launched its “Let Someone Know” website, also aimed at young people at risk.

Says Geoff Day, Director of HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention: “GROW’s booklet is a very practical extension of our own consultation with young people for our “Let Someone Know” website. It is hugely helpful to hear young people’s stories of issues such as psychiatric care and their own mental health, because the more we listen to them, the better we can shape our response.”

Mental health and suicide are particularly pressing issues for young people. At a stage when they should be embarking on an exciting new life journey, many young people’s lives are beset by mental health problems, and this can lead to depression, isolation, prison or suicide. But people do recover, and early intervention, such as that which is provided by GROW, can make a substantial difference.

Said John Lonergan, former governor of Mountjoy Prison, speaking of his own experience with some of the most acute expressions of mental health issues: “In my experience, we have seen a reduction in self harm and suicide over the past number of years. There are a number of different reasons for this, including better psychiatric services, better day treatment programmes and the introduction of the listener scheme, where prisoners are trained to be listeners and are available day or night. This is why I believe that GROW is such a wonderful organisation – it provides hands-on support for people going through a crisis in their lives, and at the end of the day that’s the most significant intervention of all.”

“You Can Do It, But You Can’t Do It Alone” will be available either on-line at www.grow.ie, or in print – copies will be available at the launch, and the booklet can be accessed through www.healthpromotion.ie, where people can place an order through the publications section of the website.

For further information, contact Mernagh Consulting on 087 2911028