SUICIDE PREVENTION experts say job losses and the recession may be linked to a 43 per cent increase in the number of suicides recorded during the first three months of this year.
Latest figures from the Central Statistics Office indicate that 106 people took their lives during the first three months of this year, compared to 74 during the same period last year.
The first quarter of 2009 saw 9.6 suicides per 100,000 population compared to 6.8 per 100,000 in the same period in 2008.
The increase comes just months after official figures reported a significant increase in the rate of self-harm last year, while groups such as Samaritans say demand for support is on the increase.
However, experts say it is still too early to say if the figures represent a trend which will continue over the rest of the year. Suicide rates have been decreasing in recent years, with numbers falling from 460 in 2007 to 424 last year, a 16-year low.
Dr John Connolly of the Irish Association of Suicidology said the figures were “ominous” and underscored the need to invest in suicide prevention and mental health services.
“Research reaching back to Émile Durkheim in the 1890s shows that, in times of recession, suicide rates tend to increase,” he said. “There can be random variations in suicide rates in small countries like Ireland, so it’s too early to say for sure.”
Dr Justin Brophy, a consultant psychiatrist, said a number of studies indicated that those who lost their jobs during a recession were at a greater risk of suicide. The risks for the least well-educated were even higher. However, governments could help by providing social security safety nets and programmes to help people cope with redundancy and get back to work.
“Latest research indicates that governments can protect people by investing in social protection measures which give people who lose their jobs new opportunities. We fare quite well on that, through programmes in Fás and Mabs [Money Advice and Budgeting Service], for example,” Dr Brophy said.
Despite evidence of an increase in suicide, funding for suicide prevention services is under threat. Suicide prevention campaigner and Fine Gael TD Dan Neville has criticised spending cuts.
He said we spend 10 times more money on road safety measures than on suicide prevention despite the fact that more people kill themselves than die on the roads.
While Ireland has a relatively low overall rate of suicide in European terms, we have the fourth highest suicide rate among young people across the EU. In addition, hospital AE units dealt with almost 12,000 cases of self-harm last year, including a significant increase among men.
For support, contact the Samaritans (1850-609090 or jo@samaritans.ie) or the “1Life” helpline (1800-24 7 100).