Fears voiced of copycat incidents

Psychiatrists and people working with sufferers from depression have expressed concern that reports of assisted suicides may result in copycat incidents.

Dr John Connolly, secretary of the Irish Association of Suicidology, said he had known for some time of "very sinister websites which go out of their way to promote suicide".

"It's quite clear that chat-rooms and e-mails are being used for this purpose, and vulnerable people are being exploited by them," Dr Connolly said.

"In individual houses, you can get software to stop people accessing pornographic websites, so maybe this could be used to prevent access to these sites. Having said that, there are also some very informative and helpful websites offering good advice on the issue."

The woman at the centre of the controversy was reportedly suffering from severe depression. Dr Connolly said it was very important to emphasise that depression was a treatable illness and that, in most cases, treatment was highly successful.

"We look at suicide as a permanent solution to what is often a temporary problem," he said.

This was echoed by Dr Patrick McKeon, medical director of St Patrick's Hospital. He said he was worried that reports of suicide could affect vulnerable people.

Some people with depression felt "an enormous hopelessness" and this could be contagious. "It's important that people who are depressed realise there is help available, from families, from support agencies and from professionals. There is always hope, even if people don't realise it at the time," Dr McKeon said.

According to the Samaritans, a stigma still surrounded mental illness, and this deterred people from seeking help. "Things have improved, but we need to talk more about mental health,"said a spokesman Mr Paul O'Hare.

GROW, the mental health support group, has called for more imaginative treatments for depression. "Sometimes the only treatment offered is chemical, and that's very scary," said Mr Mike Watts, GROW co-ordinator.

"A lot of people take a tablet, feel better and then six months later go through the same cycle again."

He said other therapies and self-help methods must be investigated. Mr Watts also called for the publicising of more positive messages from people who overcame depression. He had regularly met people who had battled with suicidal thoughts and beaten them.

"They are really glad they have taken that route," he said. "If people work through what they have to work through, they will come out the other side. It's important that people know that."

Dr Connolly was critical of one newspaper's decision to publish details of the method of assisted suicide.

"That is totally reprehensible. We don't want to tell people how to do it." He said and urged media organisations to adhere to the IAS guidelines on the sensitive reporting of suicide.

Meanwhile, Mr Dan Neville, Fine Gael's deputy health spokesman, has called for a debate to examine the legal, ethical and moral issues around euthanasia.

He said he believed the courts would soon be asked to exempt from prosecution a person who helped end a life.

"The main societal reason for disallowing euthanasia is the fear of developing a 'slippery slope' whereby if euthanasia becomes acceptable under any circumstances, the boundaries of what is considered lawful killing would be stretched even wider," he said.