Action needed to address findings into suicide

Dublin South West Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe has urged the Government to exam closely the findings of the National Suicide Research Foundation which has identified the breakdown in relationships, bereavement and financial difficulties as major factors that can lead to suicide.

The Tallaght based representative said: “For those working with vulnerable individuals and those at risk need to be properly resourced to deal with the crisis levels of those presenting the signs or behavioural attitudes of suicide. The high rate of suicide and the devastation this causes to families and communities is one of the biggest challenges facing Irish society today.

“In this survey, of those who died by suicide, 38% were unemployed and over 32% had been working in construction. Over 68% of the people who took their own lives had experienced past suicidal behaviour by family members or friends and in the year prior to death, over 80% of people who died by suicide had been in contact with their GP or a mental health service.

“This high number points to a faultline in the current services and there needs to an upskilling of frontline medical personnel in this area of healthcare provision.

“Current mental healthcare provision seems unable to provide the necessary help for people who are at risk. There is also a clear association between the impact of the recession and the high rate of suicide. In these harsh economic times, when families are suffering from unemployment and rising levels of poverty, priority needs to be given to providing adequate resources for the implementation of suicide prevention programmes.

“The survey highlights the need to do more, to do it better and recognise the behavioural signs and attitudes of those at risk.”