SUICIDE RATES tend to increase during times of economic depression. Job losses, economic strain and home repossessions are all risk factors for anxiety and depression. Nevertheless, a 43 per cent increase in the numbers taking their own lives during the first three months of this year is an alarming wake-up call for everyone involved in trying to prevent suicide. No one believes that all suicides are preventable, or that there is any one solution to the problem. There is, however, much that can be done. And all available evidence points to the fact that the State is failing to do it.
There are many gaping holes in vital services for those at highest risk of suicide. For instance, many of the thousands of people who present in hospital emergency units having self-harmed are not followed up with counselling or psychiatric intervention. In addition, hundreds of children continue to wait months or even years for psychiatric assessments, despite repeated pledges to improve these services.
When an Oireachtas sub-committee on suicide prevention this year examined how many of the recommendations from its 2006 report had been implemented, the result was just seven out of 33.
It is not all bad news. There have been some encouraging changes in recent years. There is a national authority – the Health Service Executive’s National Office for Suicide Prevention – and a national strategy, Reach Out. They have helped to co-ordinate, resource and administer the work of patchy suicide prevention services. Encouragingly, suicide rates have been falling in recent years, with the number of deaths reaching a 16-year low last year.
Yet, it is clear the area still does not receive the priority it deserves. Ten times more money is spent on road safety measures than on suicide prevention, despite the fact that more people kill themselves than die on the roads. It is too early to say for sure, but the scale of job losses and the prolonged nature of the economic downturn means the numbers taking their own lives are likely to increase over the course of this year.
The message of this week’s figures should be that these deaths are not inevitable. We have to increase our commitment to suicide prevention services, as well as investing more in training and education for thousands of jobless people. Ultimately, it is only through sustained, targeted and properly-resourced measures that we can help ensure that nobody has to face a crisis on their own.