(The Nationalist, 19 January 2001)
In 1996, 380 people committed suicide in the Irish Republic. In 1997, it was 433 and, in 1998, 504. (In that year, 462 people were killed on the roads.) The true level may be higher than those figures suggest, as a review of coroners’ files in Mayo and Kildare showed that suicides in Kildare were 16% higher, and those in Mayo 28% higher, than figures from the Central Statistics Office suggest. (Proportionately Carlow came highest in the country.)
There were 12 attempted suicides for every one that succeeded, according to statistics from the National Suicide Research Foundation. Almost half of the attempts were among people under 25, and were evenly balanced between men and women. But, in actual suicides, men outnumber women by five to one. Among those attempting, about half were suffering from some psychiatric illness. We had a male suicide rate of 17.9 per 100,000 in 1998 as against 11.0 in Britain. But our rate is lower than most European countries.
In over half the cases, there had been a history of ‘self-harm’ in the previous year. And half had used drugs recently prescribed. Among people recently discharged from psychiatric care the incidence was about 200 times greater than in the general population. Half of those with clinical depression were not diagnosed as such.
Why do they do it? Dr. Bartley Sheehan, Dublin County Coroner, is quoted as saying that ‘the most common factor in suicides is the breakdown of the marriage or relationship of the victim’s parents during childhood’. He spoke of society’s ‘apparent reluctance to recognize the hazards for children of marital breakdown, strife between parents and an insecure early life experience.’ One result may be an inability to communicate.
Other factors which may be significant, whether as cause, catalyst or occasion, include sexual abuse; drug abuse including alcohol; bullying at school or work; a family history of suicide; previous suicide attempts; being homeless, an ex-prisoner, an ex-war combatant; being single, separated or unhappily married; heavy metal music; and inability to come to terms with homosexuality.
My own view is that loss of faith (or lack of it in the first instance) leads to a loss of values, direction, purpose and meaning. People may come to feel they haven’t much to live for and so they decide to bring life to an end. We live in a society which is becoming more individualistic and this leads to loneliness and loss of community. Communication is at the heart of all relationships and if there is such a thing as a solution to the problem of suicide I believe it has to be sought there. And good communication is more about the ears and the heart than the mouth and the mind.
This article borrowed from the following:
Eamonn Timmins, “Attempted suicide may be on the increase”, The Irish Times, 4 Dec.1999, p.4, and Kitty Holland, The Irish Times, 9 August 1999, p.4.