Northern Ireland Mental health charities, Mental Health Foundation and Royal College of Psychiatrists highlight that more people have died from suicide since the Belfast Agreement than were killed during the Troubles

Together for You, a group of Northern Ireland’s mental health charities, lead by Action Mental Health, the Mental Health Foundation and the Royal College of Psychiatrists are to meet Westminster MPs and peers seeking action on the worsening mental health crisis in Northern Ireland. The meetings, which take place today – 20th February at Westminster, come just days after talks to restore the Power Sharing Stormont Executive spectacularly collapsed.

Recently the shock statistic was revealed that more people have died through suicide since the Belfast Agreement was signed than died in the entirety of the Troubles. More than 4,400 suicides were registered in Northern Ireland in the 19 years between 1998 and 2016, whilst during the Troubles, between 1969 and 1997, it is estimated that 3,600 people died.

The delegation, which is led by Action Mental Health and the Mental Health Foundation, say the worsening crisis is being exacerbated by Northern Ireland’s ongoing political dysfunction. Following this week’s collapse of talks to restore the Stormont Executive after 13 months of no functioning government in Northern Ireland, the advocates will demand that Westminster acts quickly to deliver the agreed mental health priorities. A range of initiatives already have cross party support including a regional trauma service to address the mental health legacy of the conflict.

The delegation, led by David Babington, Chief Executive of Action Mental Health and Dr Iris Elliott, Head of Policy and Research of the Mental Health Foundation, will highlight the dire state of Northern Ireland mental health service provision and the urgent need for clear policy and increased funding. David Babington of Action Mental Health said the group had come to London to say Westminster needs to sit up and take notice;

 “The rest of the UK needs to understand that while we in Northern Ireland have endured over a year with no functioning government, our health service is being starved of funding and decision making, and we are seeing a deeply worrying rate of suicide. It’s hard to believe that more people have now died through suicide than were killed in the Troubles, but the statistic is very real and so is the suffering taking place here. This cannot be allowed to continue. Where is the duty of care to the people of Northern Ireland? Moreover, where is the £50 Million in extra funding for mental health which was promised nearly a year ago? Is anyone in charge?

 He added,

 “We have been calling for the appointment of a Mental Health Champion to work across government in Northern Ireland to tackle the mental health crisis for years. This appointment is more pertinent now than ever in the face of ongoing political deadlock. Northern Ireland has a 25% higher overall prevalence of mental illness than England – 1 in 5 adults here has a mental health condition at any one time. People are dying and this is simply unacceptable”

 The Together for You Group and the Mental Health Foundation are attending a reception in Parliament hosted by Sir Jeffrey Donaldson on Mental Health in Northern Ireland: in the absence of a local Assembly, what now for mental health policy and funding?

Dr Iris Elliott of the Mental Health Foundation added,

“We cannot achieve a peaceful society in Northern Ireland without peaceful minds. If we invest in mental health support and work together to prevent mental health problems, then mental health will be an asset for our society.

The failure to deliver for mental health over the last 13 months, and indeed over the last 20 years since the Peace Settlement, is unacceptable. Mental Health Foundation is standing alongside Northern Ireland mental health charities and professional bodies to call for immediate Government action.

During the last 13 months we have lost so many opportunities to support people experiencing mental health problems and prevent their occurrence. Therefore, commitments secured need to be robustly monitored by politicians at Westminster. Whatever form of Government we have in Northern Ireland, mental health must be its top priority.”

The chair of the Northern Ireland Royal College of Psychiatrists, Gerry Lynch agreed,

“It is imperative that mental health policy and service development doesn’t stagnate in the absence of a devolved administration. Given the underfunding of mental health care in Northern Ireland, new policies and reforms must be driven forward as a matter of urgency”.

A reception will take place at 3pm on Tuesday 20th of February in Committee Room 19. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, MP for Lagan Valley, will host and chair the event.

Speakers include:-

• David Babington – Chief Executive of Action Mental Health
• Dr Iris Elliott – Head of Policy and Research, Mental Health Foundation
• Dr Gerry Lynch – Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Northern Ireland

During the reception, we will bring together parliamentarians, practitioners, policy makers and academics interested in mental health in Northern Ireland to develop an agenda for action on mental health.

• Northern Ireland has a 25% higher overall prevalence of mental illness than England – 1 in 5 adults here have a mental condition at any one time.
• Inequality gaps for mental health indicators narrowed over the last five years. Despite this narrowing, the gaps for self-harm admissions and suicide remained large with the self-harm admission rate in the most deprived areas four times, and the crude suicide rate almost treble, that seen in the least deprived areas. The rate for mood and anxiety prescriptions was 69% higher in the most deprived areas than in the least deprived.
• More than 20% of young people are experiencing “significant mental health problems” by their 18th birthday. 17% of men and 32% of women aged 35-44 show signs of depression
• The rates of depression in Northern Ireland are associated closely with unemployment, low educational achievement and social deprivation
• A quarter of suicide inquiries in the UK showed that the individual died within three months of discharge from in-patient care. In England and Wales, 40% died before the first review appointment. This was 35% in Scotland and 66% in Northern Ireland

Briefing – Mental Health Crisis in Northern Ireland

The ethos of Action Mental Health and its focus on helping people to recover from mental ill-health was what attracted the charity’s inaugural runner to sign up for this year’s Belfast City Marathon.

Craig Downey was the first person to pledge all the money he raises by tackling the gruelling 26.2 mile run, through the city this spring, to Action Mental Health.

The 31-year-old electrical engineer, who is originally from Derry/Londonderry but who now lives in Antrim, will be donning the AMH purple with pride on the bank holiday run which this year takes place on Monday, May 7.

It will be Craig’s second marathon, having already run the Lough Ness Marathon in Scotland. Over the years Craig has fundraised for numerous charities but this year opted to run the marathon for Action Mental Health, due in part to the greater spotlight currently being shone on the issue.

But Craig, who adds weight training and CrossFit to his list of physical hobbies, also has a more personal reason for choosing a mental health charity.

“I’ve got a few family members who suffer from anxiety and I’ve suffered from anxiety myself. I’d have weeks and months that would go by, fine, and then something would trigger it and it snowballs.

“I want to promote the fact that some men especially, who suffer from this type of thing, are afraid of speaking out to tell anyone else about it, or of showing any weakness, physical, mental or emotional.

“My girlfriend is also a mental health nurse and it’s just the fact that this can affect all walks of life, whether you’re rich or poor or whatever, it doesn’t discriminate, same as cancer.

“I want to promote the thought that if you are struggling, you have to take that first step and talk to someone about it,” he added.

After deciding upon a mental health charity, he explains why he chose Action Mental Health.

“The ethos of Action Mental Health is practically word for word the same as my blurb on my Just Giving page and it’s the focus placed on the recovery of people suffering from mental health problems that appealed to me.”

Craig has already drawn up his marathon training schedule and will soon be doing forty miles per week, at the least, to get into his best shape for the spring event.

“I don’t believe in putting your body through something like this without doing it all for charity,” he says, and hopes to beat his last marathon time of 3.5 hours whilst raising at least £1000 in sponsorship.

Action Mental Health’s Events Officer Callum Clark is delighted to welcome Craig into the growing stable of fundraisers who raise much needed funds to help the charity provide services for people of all ages living with a range of mental health issues as well as promoting positive mental health to children and young people across Northern Ireland.

“Having people like Craig don the purple jersey for Action Mental Health means so much to us.

“As a local charity we rely heavily on people’s generous fundraising efforts to help provide our services and we certainly hope many more people follow Craig’s lead and nominate Action Mental Health as their beneficiary for the Belfast City Marathon 2018.”

If you have been inspired by Craig’s story, why not sign up for the Belfast City Marathon to run, walk or relay on behalf of Action Mental Health.

Sign up at http://www.belfastcitymarathon.com/ and get in touch with our fundraising team on [email protected]

The AMH Team are on the look out for enthusiastic Volunteers to help with all things fundraising from charity collections, to bag packs, to helping out at numerous events throughout Northern Ireland.

If you have some free time to help #TakeActionOnMentalHealth we would love to hear from you.

For more information please contact [email protected] , we look forward to hearing from you!

As part of a CCEA Performance Skills qualification, service users from Downpatrick New Horizons created their own theatre company, ‘Masquerade Theatre Company’ and staged a performance of a play, ‘Fighting Back’ last December, before an enthusiastic audience. The show confronted issues around prejudice and discrimination and included a physical theatre piece which explored mental health through expressionist movement. The cast of five agreed their journey through theatre was both empowering and rewarding. They said:
“I felt so proud that I was able to stand up and act out in front of an audience. The buzz I felt was incredible…I could do it over and over again,” said Patricia Hickland.
“I really enjoyed performing in front of my family members and I felt so proud of myself. I feel I have overcome a lot of barriers like social anxieties and lacking confidence,” said Robert Watson.
James Murphy concurred: “I have found the programme really enjoyable and it has given a boost to my mental well-being.”
Margaret Brown said: “The sense of achievement I feel is amazing. I have overcome fears and anxieties by moving out of my comfort zone. Being part of our drama group was one of the best experiences of my life. I would definitely consider further study of drama.”
“I have thoroughly enjoyed the performance aspect of this course and it has ignited within me a passion for acting. I would definitely consider further study of theatre in an FE setting or university,” said Ashley Walker,

The poignant stories of men and women who have found new purpose after their lives were shattered by mental ill-health have been brought to the screen by an award winning local director.

Of My Kin, funded by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and NI Screen and produced in association with Action Mental Health, portrays the heart-rending tales of people who have come together to heal and know first-hand what it is to suffer from mental health issues.

The film, which was two years in the making, was unveiled at a special launch screening on Tuesday January 23 at the IMC Banbridge cinema.

The people who feature in the short film, directed and produced by award-winning Northern Ireland film and TV director Joe McStravick, tell of attempted suicide bids, being sectioned in mental institutions, of worthlessness and breakdowns following unemployment, alcoholism, marital separation – but it is a film enshrined in hope, not hopelessness.

The stories told in the film – voiced over by actors – give insights into the lives of men and women who have found support, companionship, empathy and literally a lifeline, at AMH New Horizons service.

Deputy Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Sam Nicholson, who will be attending the film’s launch believes these kind of arts projects are important vehicles for story-telling and changing perceptions.

“Through council’s Arts Development programmes we try to provide opportunities for people of all ages and circumstances to engage in creativity. By creating a safe space people can share their story or explore ideas and experiences that aren’t easily spoken about in everyday life.”

Watch a clip of ‘Of My Kin’

Children in schools across Northern Ireland will benefit from a mental health promotion programme thanks to a £70,000 funding boost from Danske Bank.

Danske Bank selected Action Mental Health as its charity partner for 2017 with the aim of raising money for its ‘Healthy Me’ programme. In one year, Danske’s employees raised £50,000 for the charity, and the bank matched £20,000 of this.

‘Healthy Me’ is a health promotion programme for 8-11 year olds that aims to positively promote mental health and social and emotional wellbeing in children. The money from Danske Bank has allowed Action Mental Health to increase the size of its team of specially trained project workers who provide mental health programmes like ‘Healthy Me’ in local schools.

An additional 1,450 children across Northern Ireland will benefit from AMH’s ‘Healthy Me’ programme and 450 teachers and parents will receive mental health resilience and awareness training.

In addition to fundraising, Danske employees volunteered over 270 hours with Action Mental Health during the year, from providing practical help at their New Horizons services to offering advice on budgeting and fraud awareness to the charity’s clients.

Aisling Press, Head of Branch Banking at Danske Bank said:

“One in five adults in Northern Ireland are affected by mental ill-health at some stage in their lives. It’s a fundamental challenge for our society but we believe we can help address the issue for future generations by supporting and investing in the mental health of our children and young people. That’s why supporting Action Mental Health is so important to us. ‘Healthy Me’ is a fantastic initiative that has a strong focus on prevention; helping children to build their resilience and learn how to cope with setbacks in life.

“We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Action Mental Health in 2018, building on the success of last year, not only in terms of fundraising but also through the contribution that our employees make as volunteers, sharing their time, skills and professional expertise to support AMH and its clients.”

Action Mental Health’s Chief Executive, David Babington added:

“Having worked with Danske Bank in 2017, we were really pleased to see how committed Danske Bank is to supporting its employees and our team have been delighted to deliver our Mindful Manager training to over 80 managers in the last six months with more sessions planned for 2018.

“I would like to thank Danske Bank employees and customers for their incredible support of Action Mental Health in 2017. It is thanks to their fundraising efforts that we will now be able to deliver ‘Healthy me’ to an additional 1,450 children in 2018, not to mention the 450 teachers and parents who will also benefit from training.”