Suicide cluster in West Cork region worst in country

Within a three-month period, a small area of West Cork experienced a suicide every week.

The 13 deaths, in successive weeks in 2011, was the worst cluster recorded in the country.

The tragedies, all within a distance of 23km, were revealed in groundbreaking analysis carried out by the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF) and published during a Department of Health briefing yesterday.

The study focussed specifically on the risk of copy-cat or “contagion” suicides in Co Cork.

It showed 13 deaths were recorded between Apr and Jun 2011, in a single 23km area.

A neighbouring 28km zone witnessed a further seven suicides in two months between Sept and Oct 2011.

The locations — not disclosed in order to protect the privacy of the families involved — had expected suicide rates of just 1.86 and 0.52 respectively — meaning the levels were seven and 13 times higher than feared.

The first cluster of cases included 12 men and one woman who were all aged between 37 and 54 years.

The majority (69.2%) were married or living with a partner while almost half (46.2%) were living with their children.

Just over one-in-three (38.5%) of the people involved were unemployed, with 30.8% previously working in the sales or business sectors.

Although a history of mental health (38.5%) issues is often seen as a key factor in suicides, the major study suggested physical ill-health (61.5%) played a more significant role in the cases.

The second cluster — which included three men and four women — showed a similar trend, with those who died aged between 32 and 50 years.

Nearly half of the second group were married or living with a partner, while two out of every five (42.9%) worked in the construction sector and all were in employment at the time of their deaths.

The findings are contained in the NSRF’s Second Report of the Suicide Support and Information System which can be read online at =www.irishexaminer.com[/url].

The study is the first in the country to use geo-spatial mapping systems usually confined to tracking infectious disease outbreaks, and potentially provides vital information on how suicide clusters can develop.

Chief author of the report, NSRF director of research Professor Ella Arensman, said she hoped that the approach will be expanded to other parts of the country over the coming years.

“Detection of these types of clusters offers the potential to explore the factors underlying clustering and will facilitate the implementation of intervention and post-intervention strategies.”

lFurther information is available from www.nsrf.ie, www.nosp.ie, and www.letsomeoneknow.ie.

Those in need of support can log on to www.console.ie, or call 1800 201 890; log on to www. aware.ie or call 1890 303 302; log on to www.1life.ie or call 1800 247 100; or log onto www.hse.ie or call 1800 742 745 (between 6pm and 10pm).

HSE mental health team

The HSE has filled just half of the community mental health team positions it promised to make available this year.

The HSE’s 2013 service plan said the sector would receive almost 500 new specialist positions to “further enhance community mental health team capacity in general adult and child and adolescence mental health services” in 2013.

The roles were also planned to improve services for older people with a mental illness, those with an intellectual disability, forensic services and to help in primary care interventions.

However, a spokesperson told the Irish Examiner the latest figures — from Aug 16 — show just half of those posts have been filled.

“The recruitment process is completed for 198 with a further 50 posts offered to candidates.

“Of the 248 remaining posts, 134 are at various stages in the recruitment process.

“However, for 30 posts there are difficulties in sourcing candidates due to factors including availability of qualified candidates and geographic location,” the spokesperson said.

She added management is still “working to improve the process” to employ 84 additional specialist staff.