Episode 23

Professor Rory O’Connor

This episode is a bit different because it takes the form of a conversation between Shona Macpherson and Professor Rory O’Connor.  Shona is a counsellor and life coach who works with Mikeysline and will be a familiar voice to you if you listen to the podcast regularly.  Rory is one of the world’s leading experts in the field of suicide prevention, he’s Professor of Health Psychology, Director of the Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory and head of the Mental Health and Wellbeing group at the University of Glasgow. He’s passionate about trying to understand the root causes of suicide in a bid to work out what we can do to reduce the shocking suicide statistics worldwide.  

His recent book “When it is darkest – Why people die by suicide and what we can do to prevent it” is a searingly honest search through this challenging and often upsetting subject.  It’s a book that’s written with such compassion and humanity we couldn’t resist asking Rory to take part in Speaking of Suicide and, since it was Shona who first brought Rory’s book to our attention and is such a passionate advocate herself of finding ways to stop suicide, we thought it should be Shona who talks with Rory.

Rory O'Connor

If you need someone to talk to, you can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55 or contact via messenger, webchat or twitter.  Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

Or come and visit at The Hive, 19 Academy Street, Inverness, Sun-Thurs 6pm-10pm & Fri-Sat 6pm-11pm.

Speaking of Suicide is made thanks to the support of D&D Paving Ltd.

The music is by Tom Ireland with special thanks to Dave Martin

About the Podcast

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Speaking of Suicide
Speaking of Suicide is a series of frank, thought provoking and tough conversations about men and mental health.

About your host

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Adventurous Audio

The creative partnership behind Adventurous Audio is Pennie Latin Stuart and Dan Holland. We worked together as a team at the BBC for years—45 between us—producing an insane range of content, covering every conceivable topic from comedy to hard-hitting documentaries, food, the arts, science, music, sport and outside broadcasts, for just about every audio corner of the BBC - BBC Sounds and BBC Radio Scotland, Radio 4, Radio 3 and Radio 2.