Public meeting on suicide prevention

Dr. Harry Barry on suicide prevention on Wednesday, November 17 next in the Atrium of the Westmeath County Council Buildings.Beginning at 8pm, the theme of the evening will be Suicide: stress and the three ages of the brain - what neuroscience can teach us!Also present on the night will be Ms. Josephine Rigney, a Suicide Prevention Officer with the HSE who will launch Midlands Living Links support group for people who have been bereaved through suicide. The Mullingar Lions Club will also talk about the work they are doing in relation to suicide awareness and the about the forthcoming ASSIST training they are running in conjunction with the HSE.Dr Harry Barry is a practitioner who has almost 35 years experience as a medical doctor with most of that spent as a GP. He has a long standing interest in mental health and in particular in improving our understanding of the role of neuroscience in both the cause and indeed the treatment of the main mental health illnesses such as major depression, anxiety disorders, addiction and indeed suicide itself.He has written three books on the subject - ‘Flagging the Problem - a new approach to mental health’ (Liberties Press) and ‘Flagging the Therapy - pathways out of depression and anxiety’ (Liberties Press) - ‘Flagging Stress - toxic stress and how to avoid it’ examining chronic stress and its effects on mental and physical health.For years he has felt that stress is at the heart of many mental health issues -from birth to old age.As a GP he has observed this at first hand and this has increased his certainty that this is the case clinically as well as neurobiologically.Dr Barry is a Board member of Aware and a regular contributor to local and national media - in the form of radio, TV and newspapers on the subject of mental health.BereavementMeanwhile, during November and December, Westmeath County Library Service will host two talks on bereavement in conjunction with the HSE and the Irish Hospice Foundation.‘Helping Hands on the Journey through Bereavement’ will take place in Mullingar Library on Thursday 18th November at 7pm.The speaker is to be Maria Costello, Bereavement Care Liaison Officer.“Talking About Bereavement” will take place in Athlone Library on Wednesday 1st December at 3.30pm. The speaker is Rita Kelly SRN .For further information, please contact Athlone Library on 090 6442157 or Mullingar Library on 044 9332161.