Suicide numbers in the Mid Ulster council area have risen sharply, from 12 in 2015 to 21 in 2024, prompting a local councillor to share her family's tragedy and call for urgent government action.

Denise Johnston, an SDLP councillor for Mid Ulster, lost her son Oisín to suicide in September 2025. She said there were no warning signs, and that she believes he was not in control of his thoughts at the time, comparing his state of mind to someone suffering a fatal heart attack.

Johnston attended suicide prevention training days before her son's death but said none of the indicators would have alerted her. She has since urged parents to discuss mental health with their children even when no problems are apparent.

Speaking of the wider crisis, she noted that during a brief visit to a local shop she encountered three people whose families had been affected by suicide, describing it as an indictment of the high rate in the area.

Across Northern Ireland, 290 suicides were registered in 2024, well above the 2014-2017 annual average of 205. The Southern Health Trust area, which includes Mid Ulster, had 65 suicides last year, the joint highest of any trust.

The North's mental health champion, Professor Siobhán O'Neill, said Johnston's openness will assist other families. She emphasised that suicidal thoughts are common, can pass, and are not always linked to mental illness. O'Neill also raised concerns about funding for the mental health strategy.

The Department of Health said it spends approximately £12 million per year on suicide prevention. A spokesperson said the minister will continue to press for the additional investment needed to deliver the Mental Health Strategy.

A new cross-party Assembly inquiry has been announced to examine how suicide prevention services are funded and how to reverse the upward trend. Johnston said she will dedicate her life to suicide prevention and called on the government to make it an immediate priority, starting with full funding for the mental health strategy.