Bernard Allen
Question:164 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if he will outline his proposals to deal with the alarming situation whereby at least one person on average commits suicide in Ireland every day.
Written Answers. - Suicide Rate.
Statistics published by the World Health Organisation show that Ireland's suicide rate is among the lowest in the European Community. Nonetheless there has been an increase in recent years, in particular among younger age groups and among women, a trend which is common to most European countries.
The causes of suicide are complex. Changes in the cohesiveness of society, depression, an erosion of traditional values, a lack of employment opportunities and social isolation are all factors which can contribute to individual distress. In a report carried out by the Economic and Social Research Institute on unemployment, poverty and psychological distress, it was found that the unemployed were five times more likely than other people to show symptoms of a non-psychotic psychiatric nature. Social support was seen to play an important role in reducing the impact of deprivation.
The ability of people to cope with life is a crucial factor influencing mental health. The ability to cope may also be affected by other issues, such as damaging experiences in childhood, inadequate preparation for the challenges of life and addiction to alcohol and drugs.
The health services provide support to those immediately identifiable as distressed. A large proportion of suicides is associated with a recognisable mental disorder, most commonly a treatable depressive illness. Health boards are involved in a number of ways in promoting better coping skills through parenting programmes, pre school playgroups, life skills education in schools, alcohol and drug awareness programmes and social support for elderly people living alone.
It is the Government's intention that the promotion of mental health should form part of health promotion generally. As the Deputy will be aware, I launched a Green Paper on Mental Health on 3 June last. One chapter discusses the challenge of promoting mental health and the prevention of suicide. The Green Paper outlines the role mental health personnel can play in the prevention of suicide and emphasises the important contribution of voluntary bodies. Submissions on the proposals in the Green Paper are invited from interested parties before 1 October 1992.