Vol. 415 No. 8
129 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if he will make a statement on the recent alarming increases in the rate of suicide in the Cork city and Cork county area as published in a media report (details supplied); and the steps his Department are proposing to take to deal with the problem.
Any calculations regarding increases in the rates of suicide depend on the base year selected. The article to which the Deputy refers, which was published in the Cork Examiner of 9 January 1992, refers to an increase over the past two decades and it is generally accepted that there was a large degree of under-reporting of suicide during the early 1970s.
The number of reported suicides in Cork city and county combined in 1970 was six while the corresponding figure for 1988, the most recent year for which final ie non-provisional figures are available, was 37. This compares with an increase in total suicides over the same period from 52 to 266.
The response to threatened or attempted suicide is primarily a matter for the health board psychiatric services who provide services to those suffering from psychological distress.
The community based psychiatric services which are now being developed place an emphasis on the treatment of people in local community settings without the disruptive effect of hospital admission. These localised services, which include facilities such as day centres, day hospitals, workshops and community residences, are making the psychiatric service more accessible and these services are ideally positioned to develop links with local organisations. The provision of community based services also permits the development of close links between mental health professionals and other statutory and voluntary agencies working at local community level. This contact facilitates the early identification of people at risk so that the necessary intervention and treatment programmes can be introduced at a stage where they can be much more effective in presenting suicides.
