HSE and Teagasc team up for suicide prevention awareness day this September

For ‘World Suicide Prevention Day’ on September 10, the HSE has teamed-up with Teagasc agricultural advisors across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon to raise awareness and learn new skills around suicide prevention. The initiative is led by Seán Conneely, Senior Health Promotion Officer, HSE West and North West supported by the HSE National Office of Suicide Prevention (NOSP).

Research for HSE NOSP entitled ‘Dying to Farm: Developing a Suicide Prevention Intervention for Farmers in Ireland’ (2023) showed that 23 percent of farmers that participated in the national survey were considered at risk of suicide (reported having suicidal thoughts and/or urges over the past two weeks).

Teagasc agricultural advisors engage with a large number of farmers on a regular basis and build up good working relationships. They are ideally positioned to signpost them to mental health supports available.

Let’s Talk About Suicide is a new, free online suicide prevention training programme from the HSE. It helps people to develop their skills to keep others safe from suicide. It helps identify people who may be at risk, to confidently broach the subject of suicide and connect them with resources that can help them stay safe.

To date, 34 Teagasc agricultural advisors across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon have completed this training and have received a resource pack containing further information to help signpost farmers to additional support services.

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Seán Conneely said: “The response from Teagasc Agricultural Advisors has been fantastic.  All the advisors were very interested in the initiative and when talking to them, I could see that they really cared about their clients and were eager to learn more about suicide prevention and mental health.”

Feedback from participating Teagasc agricultural advisors has also been very positive. One Teagasc advisor said: “This course enhanced my awareness, lessened the stigma associated with mental health, and equipped me as an advisor to act with knowledge and compassion”, whilst another said: “I found the course very informative and has definitely changed the way I would approach a situation where someone was presenting as potentially suicidal. The biggest take away for me was to listen more and validate how they are feeling rather than persuade them that things are not that bad.”

It is hoped that more Teagasc agricultural advisors in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon will complete the online programme. 

For more information please email sean.conneely2@hse.ie. While this initiative involved Teagasc agricultural advisors, anyone over the age of 18 years can complete this free online course available from ‘traininghub.nosp.ie’. 

For further information on mental health supports visit www.westbewell.ie.