Derry girls star backs 'Invest in Life' petition
Jamie Lee O'Donnell joins DT Cool FM crusade for suicide crisis centres
Last updated 17th May 2018
Derry Girls actress Jamie Lee O'Donnell has backed Downtown Cool FM's calls for suicide prevention centres in Northern Ireland.
The 26-year-old is taking part in the tenth annual 'Darkness into light' walk this weekend, to raise awareness around suicide prevention and mental health issues.
Electric Ireland has sponsored Darkness into Light for the past six years.
The walk takes place in nine venues across Northern Ireland and thousands are expected to take part, with Jamie Lee herself walking in Londonderry.
As part of our 'Invest in Life' campaign, we launched a petition calling for specialist crisis centres in NI and reached over 30,000 signatures.
The actress said there's definitely a need for such facilities in Northern Ireland:
"That is definitely a good idea, I think it's something that could really help out around the city and it's definitely needed and people should really try and back it and go for it, definitely.
"We've all known someone who has struggled with mental health and...we all think about different experiences of our lives where we've all struggled ourselves through various things that have happened.
"Having a conversation and discussing it and being able to talk in a safe space and being able to open up is really important and really needed."
You can see the link to the petition here
The actress has also called for improved mental health services and provision for patients here.
She says the stigma of admitting to a mental health issue can deter sufferers from seeking help:
"It is an illness that you can't physically see, it doesn't need a bandage or anything like that but it is just as important as any other illness.
"There is some sort of crisis, there definitely is a problem... with suicide.
"It definitely is something that needs to be looked at and shouldn't be ignored or pushed away or excuses made for, there is a big issue with mental health and with suicide so it's something that needs to be looked at and more resources need to be put into it."
"I think the stigma probably would add to the fact of people having to have a conversation that maybe they're not coping or they're not succeeding or they're not getting to the point that they thought they would.
"I think it's that added pressure of maybe admitting that you are struggling and that's not something that people maybe necessarily want to do."
Clare McAllister, Sales and Marketing Manager, Electric Ireland, said:
"We have been incredibly proud to support Darkness Into Light since 2013. We are thrilled with the swelling number of people participating every year, making this event a powerful international movement in the fight against suicide; together we can offer hope, community and solidarity to people impacted by suicide and self-harm.’’