The South Eastern Health Board (SEHB) has welcomed the publication of two suicide prevention publications by the National Youth Federation.
An Information Bookletand A Resource Handbook are a response to the growing number of suicides, particularly male suicide, in the southeast.
The books are at the heart of a new training programme consisting of a 20-hour training module for designated youth workers who, upon completion of their training, will act as a resource person to their local service.
Other areas that are addressed are general prevention, mental health promotion, risk factors and warning signs, along with the responses of youth services at the level of prevention, intervention and postvention.
In the southeast during the five-year period from 1996 to 2000, there were 72 deaths registered as suicides by people under 24 years of age. Nationally, for the same period there were 503 deaths in total; 464 of these were males.
"The initiative being launched today further intensifies our efforts to attempt to reduce youth suicide in our region," Mr Sean McCarthy, Regional Suicide Resource Officer with the South Eastern Health Board, said.
In June 2001 the "Mental Health Matters" programme was introduced into the youth services.