Recommendations: A forum organised by President Mary McAleese to examine ways of reducing the number of people taking their own lives has recommended that a State body be established to co-ordinate work in the area of suicide prevention.
It is one of a number of findings by statutory agencies, voluntary organisations and community-based groups which met last March at a special forum on suicide in Áras an Úachtaráin.
In a report to be published this week, Suicide in Ireland - Everybody's Problem, the forum found that the absence of a national authority often left communities isolated without any formal strategy on how to tackle the tragedy of suicide.
Visible leadership was required to develop guidelines for schools, workplace and health services in a standardised way, the report says. "Frequently it is communities themselves who take a lead in setting up novel local responses to care for their own. However, a problem arises when different groups continue to mushroom in isolation from others, without adequate sharing of their acquired experience, support and training," the report says.
President McAleese, who has described suicide as a "tragic blight on modern society", has signalled that work in this area will be one of the key themes of her term of office.
Latest figures show 444 people died by suicide in 2003, almost 100 more than died on the roads. While the figure is average by European standards, the rising rate of suicide among young people is causing alarm.
To help promote greater co-ordination, the forum concluded that a structure within the social partnership model could be set up that would encourage open dialogue and debate among people from different backgrounds of suicide prevention.
A leadership structure could also be established, linked to government departments, which would co-ordinate, resource and administer the work of suicide prevention.
Other recommendations made by the forum include:
Completing and implementing the National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention;
Supporting community groups and voluntary agencies in forming linkages and arriving at greater mutual awareness;
Developing accessible and user-friendly mental health services where relevant expertise would be available 24 hours a day;
Supporting research into the range of issues across society that contribute to suicidal behaviour;
Establishing a major media campaign to promote positive mental health and challenge the stigma surrounding mental distress.
The rapporteur of the forum, Dr Tony Bates, said the forum felt that, in the current climate of health service reform, there was a unique opportunity to develop fresh ways of dealing with the issue of suicide.
While the veil of secrecy that has surrounded suicide has been lifted, attitudes to emotional suffering and suicidal behaviour remained shrouded in fear, he said.
"This is not the sole responsibility of one particular department or agency, it's everyone's problem," said Dr Bates. "We need clear pathways to care that are flexible and responsive. If we do that, we can bring down the suicide rate quite significantly."
He said that whatever initiatives were established, it was of great importance that they were person-centred and took account of the resources and wisdom that existed in the community.