THERE HAS BEEN a 40 per cent increase in the number of people seeking help from a suicide crisis centre.

Pieta House suicide crisis centre, which has been operating for the past five years in Dublin and Limerick, reports the findings at the beginning of Suicide Awareness Week which runs from today until next Friday.

In 2010, 486 people died by suicide, 386 of those were male and 100 were female, according to Pieta House which also found that that almost 60 per cent of 18 to 34-year-old men tend to turn to their mothers for support if in distress.

This indicates that the family unit remains the primary support network for the majority of people, according to the crisis centre.

Chief Executive of Pieta House Joan Freeman said of the findings:

The recession is definitely contributing to the increase in people coming to Pieta House. We’re seeing a lot more young men, many of whom are unemployed and feel they have no role in society.

We know that talking to a friend or a family member when you’re distress can alleviate the pressure and lead to getting help.

Pieta House will hold a flash mob in Dublin and Limerick next Saturday in an attempt to highlight the issue of suicide in Ireland.

You can contact Samaritans on 1850 60 9090, or contact them via email atjo@samaritans.org.

Related: TD says suicide increase is a “national emergency” >