Suicide Prevention National Day of Action

by John - dunaree2000 Wed Mar 15, 2006 23:10

Why don't you check your facts? Ireland doesn't have the second highest suicide rate in Europe. Northern Ireland has one of the lowest suicide rates in Europe, the sixth lowest of 35 European countries on the latest figures. The suicide rate in the Republic of Ireland is higher than in Northern Ireland, but still the tenth lowest of 35 European countries on the latest figures. In western Europe: Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Germany, France, Austria and Luxembourg all have much higher suicide rates than the Republic of Ireland. In eastern Europe: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Czech Republic, Slovenia have suicide rates that range from about 50 per cent higher than Ireland to 300 per cent higher than the Republic of Ireland. All the increase in the suicide rate in Ireland since 1994 that you mention occurred before 1997. Since 1997 the suicide rate in the REpublic of Ireland has fallen by almost 20 per cent. This is rather unfortunate from the point of view of those left-wing organisations who are trying to exploit the tragedy of suicide by blaming 'neo-liberalism' and 'capitalism'. For the record, capitalist countries generally have had far lower suicide rates than socialist countries. By far the highest suicide rates ever to occur in Europe occurred in eastern Europe in the 1970s and 80s. Given that SF wants to impose the economic system that those countries had then, no one should take their claims to be concerned with suicide seriously.

by s. Thu Mar 16, 2006 17:48

' Of particular concern is the rate of youth suicide in Ireland, currently the fifth highest in the European Union at 15.7 per 100,000 for 15-24 yr olds'. (2005)

Reach Out : National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention
2005-2014 . DOHC

by Terence - None Thu Mar 16, 2006 19:20

I found this graph in one of the the yearly statistic pdf files produced by the central statistics office.

As we can see from the graph the suicide rate (per 100,000) in Ireland began to soar from about 1970 onwards and seems to have gone down slighly lately -well at least from about 1997 to 2001. The increase is clearly shocking and we may all argue about the exact figure, but I think in this case the picture beats a 1000 words.

A point to note in the above comment which gives the rate in the 15-24 age bracket. This should not be confused with the rates above which are for all ages and do not neccessarily match.

Suicide rate per 100,000 in Ireland 1951 to 2001

by righteous pragmatist Mon Mar 20, 2006 17:59

The Republican movement have been active on the ground for many years providing mental health threatment to all of the people of this island - pistol bullets in the back of the head, kneecaps and hands for individual victims and mass death, dismemberment and maiming in bomb explosions.
Oh and don't forget economic deprivation and mass unemployment because foreign investors and employers fled from our shores fearing kidnap and theft of their assets.

by Concerned Mon Mar 20, 2006 19:27

Suicide is an increadibly difficult and complex issue to attempt to grapple as part of a public campaign. The severe emotional trauma caused by suicide can be affected by any such campaign. OSF must be extremely sensitive that they do not do more harm than good in their approach.

As someone who has been directly affected by the suicide of a family member I am very dubious about the plans of OSF.

Have OSF sought any advice from Suicide prevention or family support groups?

Have OSF discussed their plans with psychiatrists/psycologists as regards the possible impact on vulnerable people or family members who have suffered from this tragedy?

Who has provided the information for the information stalls, leaflets, public talks and media interviews? It would be potentially very dangerous if this information was not properly vetted by appropriate professionals prior to use.

Unfortunately, I get the feeling that OSF are selecting a serious issue that needs to be addressed but I am very worried about the content of the campaign. I would hate to think that OSF were using this issue as a publicity stunt.

I hope a member of OSF will come on here and outline what measures they have taken to ensure that they don't do more harm than good.

by tom Mon Mar 20, 2006 19:44

We shouldn't forget that anti-depressant drugs have been found to cause suicide as revealed by the seroxat scandal.

by pat c Wed Mar 21, 2007 17:17

"We shouldn't forget that anti-depressant drugs have been found to cause suicide as revealed by the seroxat scandal."

A number of people committed suicide while on seroxat, it is likely that seroxat contributed to list of different reasons which drove them to commit suiocide.

However anti-depressat s help millions of people to live normal lives. But they are not suitable for everybody. But given the relief they bring to millions, they should not be demonised.

by sean Thu Mar 22, 2007 14:01

the manufacturers of these drugs have covered up the results of so called clinical trials which have shown that the drugs could make people even more agitated and depressed (Eli Lilly and Glaxo Smith Kline). also trials have shown that placebo to be just as effective if not more effective than the actual drug. the theory on which these drugs are prescribed is that they help to redress an imbalance which is totally unproven and in fact they damage serotonin receptors in the brain - so to say that these drugs have helped many people is completely false.

by volunteer - SpunOut.ie Fri Jul 06, 2007 18:22

The tide is turning in how suicide prevention is being done in Ireland.

See:

Ref: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/83104

Related Link: http://www.spunout.ie