Sir, - I would like to bring to your attention a paragraph in the Kathy Sheridan article, "out of sight out of mind in the house of tragedy" (News Features, January 20th). A friend of Ruth describes her as a "gentle kind spiritual and intelligent person who would not be the kind to commit suicide". I thought this might lead one to believe someone who commits suicide would be the opposite to Ruth: demented, uncaring and stupid.
This profile of a suicide victim is very misleading, suggesting that a person could identify someone likely to commit suicide, when in fact it may be quite difficult to do so. How else can we explain almost 500 suicides last year and thousands upon thousands in the 1990s alone?
The question also posed was: could it have been prevented? I think the issue of suicide is very complex and deserves a much higher priority than it is presently afforded. Consider the coverage and media space given to other issues or the Government's action taken on the BSE crisis. Suicide is twice the monthly BSE rate but you would never think there was a crisis. Let's publish a monthly suicide rate and treat this tragedy with the same urgency that the monthly inflation figures get.
I also knew someone who was intelligent, kind and spiritual but, alas, who was the type to commit suicide. - Yours, etc.,
Fran Moloney, Pinewoods, Clondalkin, Dublin 22.