This article is from page 6 of the 2012-04-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
A NEW support group that encourages people to take control of their mental health problems will open in Ennis later this month.
Details of the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) were outlined at a forum on mental health held in Ennis last week.
WRAP facilitator Liam Minogue was among the speakers at the event that encouraged “honest conversation” about mental health issues.
Mr Minogue, the co-founder of the Ennis WRAP support group, told the meeting that he had suffered with depression and anxiety, saying that he had “spent many years in a dark place.” He said the discovery of WRAP had enabled him to take control of his battles with depression.
He said WRAP is based around five key concepts – hope, personal responsibility, education, self-advocacy and support.
He added, “When you are in a place of depression, you need to have your voice heard.”
Mr Minogue availed of training as a WRAP facilitator from the Irish Mental Health Recovery Education Consortium in 2009. In 2010, he undertook the position of Volun- tary Co-ordinator for the Clare area with the Community Reconnect and Recovery Network. Their aim is to develop a regional network of peer support groups in the mid-west region of Ireland. The Emotions Peer Support Group will open at the Clon Road Business Park, Ennis, at the end of the month.
The meeting at the Old Ground Hotel heard that, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), 386 men took their own lives in 2010, compared to 100 women.
Citing figures from a survey compiled by the support group Aware, Dr Mairead McGovern said that 45 per cent of people experience depression at some point in their lives; 55 per cent of people who experience depression did not tell family or friends; while 75 per cent said they withdrew from family and friends.
Dr McGovern, who works with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), said that in many cases, people did not talk about depression because they felt “scared, ashamed and overwhelmed.”
Dr McGovern said parenting; school counselling and local services are vital to helping young people suffering from depression.