MEN IN their early 20s and women in their early 50s are most at risk of suicide in Ireland, according to the annual report of the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention published yesterday.
There were 552 deaths by suicide in 2009, the last year for which figures are available, a rate of 12.4 deaths per 100,000 people.
Suicide is significantly more likely among men than women. It has increased among men from a rate of 8.4 per 100,000 in 1980, to a peak of 23.5 in 1998, to 20 per 100,000 in 2009.
The female suicide rate has remained relatively constant, ranging from 4.3 per 100,000 in 1980 to 4.9 per 100,000 in 2009.
By European standards, Ireland has the sixth lowest rate of death by suicide compared with the lowest rate of 3.9 in Greece and the highest of 34 in Lithuania.
The office invests and works on a range of measures to prevent suicide. It funds 42 programmes in 27 organisations such as Console, Samaritans and Pieta House.
In response to the increase in suicide rates, the office received an additional € 1 million funding from government in 2011.
This was allocated to 22 new projects including dialectical behavioural therapy training for frontline HSE mental health staff, intervention services for people who engage in suicidal behaviour, and a Samaritans project to link national mental health and suicide prevention helplines.
Minister of State for mental health Kathleen Lynch welcomed the report and said the Government was committed to improving mental health services and reducing the number of deaths by suicide.
“An additional €3 million is being provided this year out of the special € 35 million announced in the budget for mental health to advance the implementation of Reach Out, the national strategy for action in this area,” she said.
Anyone who is emotionally distressed can phone the Samaritans on 1850-609090 or visit www.yourmentalhealth.ie, www.letsomeoneknow.ieor www.nosp.ie