Martin criticised over anti-suicide campaign

The Union of Students in Ireland has criticised the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, for failing to support the union's suicide prevention campaign on the grounds that he was "too busy".

USI president Mr Colm Jordan said in the light of recent findings that young Irish people were more likely to commit suicide than other Europeans, and last Friday's tragic deaths of two Cork students, it was disappointing the Minister was not interested in the campaign.

"We are working on this campaign with other members of the emotional health community, such as the Samaritans and Aware, but unfortunately the Minister and the Department of Health haven't taken part in it," he said. "Mr Martin told us he was too busy."

Speaking at the opening of the USI Emotional Health Awareness campaign yesterday, Mr Jordan said an OECD survey placed Ireland second, after New Zealand, in an international league of people under 25 who commit suicide.

According to its findings, 10.3 per 100,000 young people in Ireland take their own lives. This compares to an average of 5.6 in other OECD countries and just 3.3 in Britain.

"The report said that Ireland is among those where youth suicides have dramatically increased, a trend described as 'particularly marked' given the general stabilisation observed on average across the OECD's other 30 countries," Mr Jordan said.

The USI has launched a poster, in conjunction with Aware and the Samaritans, to accompany the campaign. The poster urges students to seek help for emotional problems.

Mr Jordan called on the Government to initiate a campaign of depression awareness.

A Department spokesman said the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, Mr Tim O'Malley, understood his officials had met USI and would be happy to meet student representatives again.