The number of attempted suicides increased by almost 7 per cent last year.
In its third annual report, the National Parasuicide Registry reported that some 11,200 cases of deliberate self-harm or attempted suicide were dealt with in accident and emergency wards in 2003.
The most vulnerable groups were women aged 15-19, where an increase of 5 per cent in parasuicide was recorded, and men aged 20-24, which showed an 8 per cent increase.
As in previous years, drug overdose was the most common method of self-harm, accounting for 78.5 per cent of cases while self-cutting was the second most common, accounting for nearly one in five cases.
Members of the National Suicide Research Foundation presented their findings yesterday to the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Mr Tim O'Malley.
The report continued to highlight the increasingly strong link between alcohol consumption and suicidal behaviour.
In 43 per cent of all cases of deliberate self-harm last year there was clear evidence of alcohol consumption.
The director of the National Parasuicide Registry, Prof Ivan J. Perry, said it was very worrying that in nearly half of all recorded cases of self-harm, people had been intoxicated when they arrived in hospital.
"We have clear evidence that binge drinking is an important contributor to the problem of self-harm and suicide in Ireland," Prof Perry said.
There was a definite link between the increase in alcohol consumption and recent trends in sports sponsorship, and he called on sporting bodies to reassess their position.
"I think that all sporting bodies - but particularly the GAA and those involved in soccer and rugby who actually get funding from the taxpayer for their stadia and other initiatives - should ask themselves whether it is appropriate to accept sponsorship from alcohol companies," he said.
The report also stressed that attempted suicide and deliberate self-harm were a potent indicator of the mental health of the population and were now among the biggest challenges facing the health system as a whole.
Mr O'Malley, who met members of the National Suicide Research Foundation yesterday at the publication of the report, said that a group of experts was currently examining all facets of mental health and would report back to Government with its findings in 2005.
He added that many psychiatrists and GPs were now questioning the benefits of certain prescription drugs, and society needed to explore alternative methods of treatment for mental illness.
"We need to look at a lot more psychotherapy and counselling for these people," he said.
The National Parasuicide Registry was established to monitor the occurrence of deliberate self-harm and is the only body of its type in the EU to provide such information.