Confronting suicide ‘virus’

Madam — Brendan O’Connor's article ‘ So much talk of suicide may be letting it go viral,’ in the Sunday Independent (December 16, 2012) makes a number of interesting points while at the same time not taking away from the grief that family and close friends experience at this terrible time.

In Ireland we have undergone major changes in society in a generation. Institutions that people looked up to have come tumbling down. There is a new openness and previously taboo subjects are now being discussed openly which is a good thing. However like Mr O’Connor I would like to add a word of caution in the way suicide is being discussed.

Unfortunately for some people, suicide is being looked on as an option. Seeing young people dressed in their school uniforms, grieving and forming guards of honour for a fellow student who has taken their life does make for dramatic TV. I do not wish to minimise this public display of grief but with the exception of the immediate family and close friends, the majority of these people will begin to move on after the event. Unfortunately for the immediate family and very close friends healing will not happen as quickly.

Furthermore Mr O’Connor points out “people who are normally emotionally contained can become extremely sentimental, and prone to very emotional outbursts online, often about people they barely knew, if at all”. This can add to the sense of drama about suicide and, as he points out, this is often picked up and reported in the print media.

We as a society need to let young people know the importance of the spiritual aspect of their lives. I'm not talking about conventional religious practices here, though some people satisfy their spiritual needs in that fashion. Suicide can be seen more as an option if people think there is nothing more to their lives than the here and now and, as society often dictates, the instant gratification of their needs.

Thomas Roddy, Lower Salthill, Galway