Sir, – Further to "No evidence to suggest under-reporting of suicide, committee hears", Oireachtas Report, March 14th), a high burden of proof, beyond all reasonable doubt, is required by a coroner before recording each case of a death by suicide. A total of 507 such suicide cases were recorded in the 2012 CSO report. A further 82 cases were recorded under open or undetermined verdicts, many of these being possible or probable suicide deaths, but not "beyond all reasonable doubt", and therefore not included in our reported suicide rate. Rather than naively assume the position of "no evidence of under-reporting", it is unlikely we will detect or uncover any such evidence of under-reporting if we do not look in detail for it. – Yours, etc,
Prof KEVIN MALONE,
School of Medicine
and Medical Science,
University College Dublin,
Elm Park, Dublin 4.