Thursday is World Suicide Prevention Day. We look at the stories behind the statistics
ARDOYNE woman Maureen Doherty’s heart is broken but she is sharing her family’s story in the hope it will help others.
One of her six sons Odhrán died in February 2022 aged just 19.
Her message this World Suicide Prevention Day is the need to talk to others, and to fund and improve mental health services for young people, the working class, travellers, and other communities.
“It is the worst feeling in the world,” she said. “Our family has been shattered."
Maureen explained Odhrán was a quiet and “amazing kid”, who worked in the Spar in Ardoyne, did work with Ardoyne Youth Club, and R City, as well as being a fan of Cliftonville FC and stewarding matches at Solitude.
Odhrán had some challenges including diagnoses of Asperger syndrome and Tourette’s syndrome, and the family had sought support for his mental health.
“Everybody loved him,” Maureen said.
“He was funny and witty, constantly making people laugh with jokes and that.”
Despite her family’s personal pain Maureen is speaking out to raise awareness of the issues on World Suicide Prevention Day.
Odhrán 
“You have to get the message out there,” she said.
“There are too many young ones going.”
Odhrán was also father to Aibreán, now five.
“I am not lucky that I lost my child,” Maureen said. “But I am lucky to know Odhrán made her. She is very much like him. His personality comes through.”
Maureen is still in counselling for her devastating loss, and says her boys all look and sound like each other, so sometimes one of them calls out to her and in her mind it’s Odhrán’s voice and then she remembers.
More than 720,000 people die globally due to suicide every year, something Cliftonville FC fans highlighted at Solitude at the weekend.
“Don’t be a statistic, speak up” was the message on their banner.
One echoed by Maureen.
“I want young people to know talking isn’t undermining yourself,” she said.
“Talk to your friends. Talk to someone. Speak up and speak out. It is ok not to be ok. All I can say is talk, talk, talk. Until you can talk no more. There will be people who will listen.”
