Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 4 Apr 2001

Vol. 534 No. 1

Written Answers. - Suicide Incidence.

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

I assume the Deputy is referring to the report of the director of public health in the Southern Health Board region regarding the incidence of suicide in Cork and Kerry in the years 1997 and 1998. The report was compiled for inclusion in the annual report of the Southern Health Board.

The report relates to a detailed analysis of suicides in 1997 and 1998. There were 95 deaths in Cork and Kerry in 1997 and 91 deaths in 1998. Of these 186 deaths 80% were males. Some 30% of these deaths were of men aged 16 to 25 and 56% of men aged under 36. The peak age groups for women were 26 to 35 and 46 to 55.

The Southern Health Board is currently training 50 staff in the mental health service in relation to dealing with suicide and parasuicide in the community. The board also has a support team available to respond to any request for assistance. Crises nurses are being placed in accident and emergency departments to deal with parasuicides attending. Awareness talks on mental health issues are being held in schools. A pilot project which commenced last year involving the placement of psychiatric nurses in GP practices has attracted a large number of young people seeking help and support.

The Southern Health Board is part funding a suicide research post in conjunction with the National Suicide Research Foundation. It has employed a mental health resource officer whose main function is to co-ordinate the implementation of the board's strategic plan on suicide.

At national level considerable progress has been made to date in the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the task force on suicide which was published in 1998. Many of the task force's recommendations require continuous development, particularly in the area of training and in the development of services relating to suicide and suicide prevention.

The establishment of a national suicide review group by the chief executive officers of the health boards is central to the strategy to prevent and reduce suicide and attempted suicide and was a core recommendation of the task force report. This group was established in 1998. Membership of the group includes experts in the areas of mental health, public health and research. The main responsibilities of the group are to review ongoing trends in suicide and parasuicide, to co-ordinate research into suicide and to make appropriate recommendations to the chief executive officers of health boards. Last year, the group published its first annual report which provides a comprehensive overview of activities in suicide prevention.

Health boards have established working groups to examine the implementation of the recommendations of the task force on suicide. The working groups are multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary and engage in the promotion of positive mental health and the de-stigmatisation of suicide, provide information in relation to suicide and parasuicide, liaise with the media and provide training requirements for staff in relation to all aspects of suicide and parasuicide. Resource officers with responsibility for implementing recommendations of the task force have been appointed in all of the health boards. Their responsibilities include the recruitment of additional staff, the provision of staff training in risk assessment, production of information literature and events aimed at raising public awareness of suicide and parasuicide.