Derry Clarke has called for the stigma of suicide to be banished from Ireland.
The celebrity chef, whose 16-year-old son Andrew took his own life in 2013, said the taboo around the subject makes it harder as a grieving parent and it is time for things to change.
He told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “There is still a stigma, I hope it won’t always be there but it certainly remains in existence in Ireland right now.
“Look at the Church, you couldn’t be buried in consecrated grounds before and that didn’t help matters.
“The subject should be talked about in normal life, it is just another obstacle to face.
“But my dream would be to see the suicide rate in Ireland falling to zero, wouldn’t that be something?”
The FeelGood with Pieta House ambassador agrees there is a lot more awareness of mental health issues but the suicide rates are still very high in Ireland. Derry said: “There needs to be serious government intervention and a lot more funding.
“Kids aren’t prepared enough for the world we live in and schools have a remit to help them and prepare them for what’s happening, especially on social media. Education and information are the two greatest things you can have as a human being, you have a chance in life once you have both of those.
“There has been a big change over the past four or five years. Communities are joining forces for Darkness into Light and Cycle Against Suicide. Pieta House have created a massive awareness on the subject right around the country.”
Winter can be a tough time as the evenings get darker and ,any people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder during the long cold nights. Derry counts himself lucky to be able to escape that as he takes time off and goes on holiday with his wife Sallyanne.
He said: “I am lucky that I can take a break in the winter and have a few breaks away, but not everybody is able to do that. I feel if I didn’t have that escapism I would feel down because winters are long in Ireland.”
Asked how he looks after his own mental health and escapes the pressures of running a hugely successful Dublin restaurant, he explained: “My advice is to anyone is to go for a walk or cycle, hit the gym and have a dip in the sea or swimming pool.
“I have never met anyone who regretted going for a walk on a Sunday morning.”
