Suicide prevention programmes are urgently needed in order to reduce levels of suicide in Ireland, the president of the Irish Association of Suicidology (IAS) said today.
Speaking ahead of World Suicide Awareness day tomorrow, Monday, Fine Gael's deputy health spokesman Dan Neville said it was disturbing to note a recent IAS survey which found some 15 per cent of people have a family member who died by suicide.
"Three out of four people know somebody who died by suicide and, of those who knew someone who died by suicide, the person was most likely to be a friend or a neighbour. One in five of those who knew someone who took their own life said that it was a family member," Mr Neville said.
He said it was clear the impact of suicide on people is much higher than was previously believed.
"The Government must take the lead from other countries in putting in place suicide prevention programmes. Despite the World Health Organisation recommending that targets should be set to reduce suicide, Fianna Fáil-led governments have firmly refused to do so, indicating the lack of seriousness with which they address the issue."
Mr Neville said the failure to address the problem was "outrageous" given that in excess of 11,000 people present at emergency departments every year for self-harm.
He said it is "conservatively estimated" that in excess of 60,000 people self-harm each year in Ireland.