AMLÉ were delighted to attend the recent event hosted by the National Suicide Research Foundation to mark World Mental Health Day. The event was held in Cork and is an annual seminar event.
the day opened with an engaging keynote from Prof Barbara Dooley (lead researcher on the MyWorld Survey) on her work on a global level mapping mental health in young people. This had many interesting insights such as looking at ‘megatrends’ in the area, which included looking at the social transition to adulthood, of which college life is a key part for many young people, and the pressures of achieving academically (as well as the impact of AI on this going forward).
In terms of looking at what is going to help improve mental health care going forward, integrating services to increase access making sure they are cost effective, and enhancing in person services with online ones were key, as well as continued evaluation of those services to make sure they are achieving their intended aims and finding ways for improvement were highlighted.
Our key takeaways came from the global call to action however, which called for greater collaboration – something we in AMLÉ have seen the benefits of time and again; and focus on long-term sustainable strategies, something AMLÉ has long been lobbying for in the areas of student mental health.
There were several breakout masterclasses; including one on discussing training in suicide prevention which is a key part of our work in AMLÉ this year.
Another key talk related to an overview of the new iteration of Ireland’s suicide prevention strategy which has been under review for the last number of months, which was interesting to see – this should be coming before cabinet for approval next year.
AMLÉ and the NSRF have worked together on a number of occasions so it was a pleasure to support them in their event as well as to learn from key speakers in the field and network with important partners in our work in student mental health.
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