Shining a Light on Mental Health: A Survivors Perspective on Suicide Causation and Prevention

Dates

24th March 2025

Time

18:00 - 19:00 (UK time)

Location

Online

Overview

Suicide. There, we said it and it is both terrifying and awful. Many people know someone directly affected by suicide and the impact it has on the immediate community at home and at work. In addition, the workplace is a contributory factor in an estimated 1 in 7 deaths by suicide. In the UK, that’s over 1,000 per year where work is a factor.

Most workplaces are aware of mental health and wellbeing and good employers are doing their best to create an environment where their employees can thrive, yet we know, for some, their mental health will fail and they may become a danger to themselves.

In this candid session, Rosie Russell, President of IIRSM, will introduce the darkest side of mental health and discuss both causation and prevention of suicides.

Speaker

Rosie Russell, IIRSM President & Director of EHS, MeiraGTx

Rosie Russell is President of IIRSM and Director of EHS at MeiraGTx, a research phase pharmaceutical company specialising in gene therapies. She started her career as a research chemist before moving into laboratory management and then health and safety. While she started her professional life in the physical sciences, her professional life has led her to understand the importance of the psychology of work and what workplaces need to do to manage psychosocial risks and create an environment in which staff can thrive.

In her spare time, you will normally find her in the kitchen exploring her love of cooking or curled up on the sofa with a good book and a nice dram of whisky.