If you or someone you know is in danger of suicide, please seek help immediately. You should:

  • Call 999;
  • Call Lifeline on 0808 808 8000;
  • Use your local emergency department.

Don’t try to manage your or someone else’s suicidal thoughts on your own. Remember, thoughts about suicide are just that – thoughts. They won’t last forever and often they pass quickly. Many people who have had serious thoughts about suicide have said that they feel completely different only hours later.
You can read more by following the links below:

Training

There are a number of training courses available throughout Northern Ireland in mental and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention.  Some of these are outlined below:

Mental Emotional Wellbeing and Suicide Prevention Training

Everyone’s mental health and emotional well-being is important and many different issues can affect it.  If you would like to learn more about these issues, including the signs and symptoms of poor mental health, there are training courses available.

The key aims of courses are to help increase understanding of mental health, promote positive self-help strategies and raise awareness of the many available sources of help and support services available in Northern Ireland.  Courses are also available to help build knowledge on becoming an alert helper for those experiencing suicidal thoughts and helping those in a suicidal crisis.

The length of the courses vary depending on the level of training involved.  Some courses are delivered over a few hours where others may last a couple of days.

Courses supported by the Public Health Agency include Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST); Mental Health First Aid NI (MHFA), safeTALK, Mindset Adult and Mindset Adolescent.

Whether you are an individual interested with increasing your knowledge of mental health or an organisation wishing to provide information for staff or users, the PHA can advise on the training that is most appropriate for you.

For further information on training available in your locality contact:

Locality Email address
Belfast and South Eastern [email protected]
Northern [email protected]
Southern [email protected]
Western [email protected]

Regional

 [email protected]

Stress control class poster

Psychological First Aid

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Red Cross advise that people are more likely to be able to psychologically cope with and recover from ongoing crisis situations like COVID-19 if they can:

  • Feel safe, connected to others, calm and hopeful;

  • Have access to social, physical and emotional support; and

  • Feel able to help themselves, as individuals and communities.

    To support staff, the HSC NI in collaboration with the Red Cross and NHS Education Scotland has made available interim guidelines and a short E-Learning module on Psychological First Aid. Learning psychological first aid skills and understanding reactions to crisis, empowers helpers to help others and apply the same skills to their own lives.The Resources and E-Learning Webinar will help individuals and teams to help people with whom they are in contact both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic by:

  • Addressing basic needs and concerns and providing practical support

  • Connecting them to information, services and social supports

  • Offering comfort and helping them to feel calm

  • Reducing distress and fostering adaptive coping

  • Protecting them from further harm

    Anyone who is not a member of the HSC Learning Centre can use a guest log in via the following link: https://www.hsclearning.com/course/view.php?id=1042.  This can be accessed at any time.