Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 Jan 2000

Vol. 513 No. 1

Written Answers. - Mental Health Services.

Bernard Allen

Question:

441 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of suicides which have taken place in each of the health board areas involving in-patient psychiatric care patients in 1990 and in each of the years from 1995 to 1999. [1314/00]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen):

Deaths and suicides in psychiatric hospitals are required to be reported to the inspector of mental hospitals under section 272 of the Mental Treatment Act, 1945. The number of in-patient suicides reported to the inspector for each year is set out as follows:

1990	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
14	19	10	10	16	10

The inspector has noted that the increase in suicide in hospitalised psychiatric patients in the past two decades reflects, almost exactly, a similar increase in the general population.