A STUDY on how schools respond to suicide is to be conducted by the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland, it was announced yesterday.
The study was commissioned by the National Task Force on Suicide. The union, which represents 15,000 second level teachers, plans to draw up guidelines for second level schools when the survey is completed.
The study will compare procedures in Irish schools with those in other countries. Suicide is the second most common cause of death among young Irish men, accounting for more than one in five deaths between 1991 and 1993 among males aged from 15 to 24.
In total, suicide accounted for 183 out of 836 deaths in this age group between 1991 and 1993. Among young women only one in 3 deaths was due to suicide.