This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/wales/south_east/7707437.stm

The article has changed 13 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Wales unveils strategy on suicide Wales unveils strategy on suicide
(40 minutes later)
Teachers and police officers will be trained to spot signs of mental health problems as part of a plan to reduce the suicide rate across Wales. Teachers, employment advisers and police will be trained to spot signs of mental health problems as part of a plan to reduce Wales' suicide rate.
A new national strategy is unconnected to the recent spate of apparent suicides in the Bridgend area. The new national strategy is unconnected to the recent spate of apparent suicides in the Bridgend area.
Relatives of some of the victims have complained it has taken too long for Wales to produce such a scheme.Relatives of some of the victims have complained it has taken too long for Wales to produce such a scheme.
The Welsh Assembly Government action plan is based on an Australian strategy which has been introduced in Scotland. The Welsh Assembly Government plan is based on an Australian strategy which has been introduced in Scotland.
Frontline staff Early help
The full strategy will be announced later on Tuesday.
Staff working in schools, job centres, GP surgeries and police stations will be trained on how to recognise early signs of mental health problems.Staff working in schools, job centres, GP surgeries and police stations will be trained on how to recognise early signs of mental health problems.
The Mental Health First Aid training programme has been running in some parts of Wales but will now be rolled out across the country. The Mental Health First Aid training programme has been running in some parts of Wales but will now be rolled out across the country. By next March, 75 instructors are expected to be running courses around Wales.
It's just help, as you would with first aid Gareth Jones, Mind Cymru
The assembly government said almost three-quarters of those who commit suicide in Wales are unknown to mental health services in the year before they die.The assembly government said almost three-quarters of those who commit suicide in Wales are unknown to mental health services in the year before they die.
A spokesman for the assembly government said: "A key objective of the action plan will be to raise awareness and understanding of mental health issues so that those at risk can be identified at an early stage and support provided earlier than has often been done in the past. A spokesman for the assembly government said the plan aimed to raise awareness and understanding of mental health issues so those at risk can be identified at an early stage and help can be provided sooner.
"Frontline staff in a wide range of workplaces working outside the mental health environment will frequently encounter people suffering from mental distress. "Frontline staff in a wide range of workplaces working outside the mental health environment will frequently encounter people suffering from mental distress," he said.
'Raising awareness'
Mental health charity Mind Cymru said the project was not about turning people into "experts in mental health".Mental health charity Mind Cymru said the project was not about turning people into "experts in mental health".
Policy officer Gareth Jones said: "It's just help, as you would with first aid. Policy officer Gareth Jones said: "It's just help, as you would with first aid."
"We see rolling out this training across Wales as raising people's awareness of what mental health is." Personal difficulties
Some 23 young people from the Bridgend area have apparently taken their own lives since the beginning of 2007. He said people often found it difficult to ask someone in distress whether they had suicidal thoughts.
"By asking that question you give people permission to talk about it. In the same way that we don't like to ask it, people don't like to talk about it," he added.
The Samaritans welcomed the training, saying encouraging people to talk more about personal difficulties and get help quickly was something the Samaritans had been doing for years.
On average, about 300 people die by suicide each year in Wales, a lower rate than in Scotland, but higher than England.On average, about 300 people die by suicide each year in Wales, a lower rate than in Scotland, but higher than England.
However, while suicide rates in Scotland have fallen they have remained roughly the same in Wales. However, while suicide rates in Scotland have fallen, they remain roughly the same in Wales.
In February Health Minister Edwina Hart wrote to assembly members announcing she was accelerating work already underway for a suicide prevention action plan for Wales.
She said suicides among young people in south Wales had highlighted the need to pull together suicide prevention policy and initiatives already in place into a single scheme.
Some 23 young people from the Bridgend area have apparently taken their own lives since the beginning of 2007.