This DVD looks at some of the facts of suicide in Ireland and asks what can be done to help those who feel pushed over the edge by their inner pain.

 

• Around 300,000 people in Ireland are affected by depression at any given time.

• Less than a quarter of these get adequate help.

• Worldwide, around one million people take their own lives each year.

• It is now the principle cause of death in young people, exceeding accidents and cancer.

• Now, over 400 people in Ireland kill themselves each year. Many others attempt it.

 

What lies behind this great and tragic sadness?

What pushes so many people to the edge and beyond?

Why do so many people come to the conclusion that life is no longer worth living?

What can be done to help and support those under such intense pressure?

How does it affect family and friends who are left behind?

 

• In the ‘Choose Life’ DVD we talk to some of the professionals who work with those affected.

• We take our cameras into the streets to get the views of young people about their pressures and problems.

• We talk to one woman who lost a family member to suicide.

• And we talk to some people who had made plans to take their lives, but were rescued and restored.

 

Is there a way out of such intense pain?

What are the choices open to those who feel like ending it all?

What can be done before they get so desperate?

 

In Part 2 we look at some personal stories, the underlying causes of their intense distress and how they found a way out. What emerges is that there is often a spiritual dimension to these life and death issues.

 

This DVD has already been ordered by over 300 schools in Ireland for use in the senior cycle.