Wave of suicides includes teenage victims

FOUR more people, including two teenagers, have taken their own lives in the south-east region since the triple drowning of a mother and her two daughters last weekend.

The tragic, unrelated deaths of seven people since Saturday has sparked fears of another wave of copycat deaths in the greater Wexford community. Between November 9 and December 19, 2002, six men jumped to their death off Enniscorthy's two bridges.

On Saturday, a GP in Gorey was found dead in his home. The married father of three was very well respected in the community.

A 75-year-old farmer from Wexford was also found dead on Saturday. A 13-year-old girl was found dead in her home on Sunday evening in Wicklow.

Later that evening, a 15-year-old student was found dead close to his home.

Samaritans PR manager Paul O'Hare said it was not correct to presume any of the other deaths were linked to that of the Grace family and that people don't become suicidal overnight.

"The society we live in today is one where people don't seem to want to give in to phoning a helpline. It's a skill to be able to look for help when you need it. We need as a society to help those who reach out for help, rather than condemning them."

Meanwhile, chair of the Irish College of Psychiatrists (ICP) Dr Kate Ganter yesterday criticised the Government for its ongoing failure to adequately resource child and adolescent psychiatric services.

The ICP has continually requested that the Department of Health provide in-patient treatment facilities for young people in potentially suicidal crisis.

Dr Ganter said there had been no improvement in services since the Government set up a working group to examine child and adolescent psychiatric services in 2000. Just 20 in-patient beds instead of the 156 needed are available, she said.

Three new promised units containing 52 beds have remained in planning stage for over a year. Consultant- led, 15-member multidisciplinary teams recommended by the working group to provide community-based psychiatric services have also largely failed to materialise. Dr Ganter said there had been no increase in the number of teams (59 recommended from an existing 40) because of the Government cap on recruitment.

A report published last week found the numbers who commit suicide have increased 400% over the last 15 years, it emerged yesterday.

Launching a programme to tackle the problem, RehabCare chief executive Angela Kerins said the rise in numbers taking their own lives was partly to do with increasingly stressful lives. Some 444 people committed suicide in 2003. Four out of five were male aged 15 to 24.

RehabCare's Suicide Prevention Programme aims to develop regionally, school and community-based prevention and outreach programmes to provide skills-based training for young people, as well as an intervention service linked to a helpline. RehabCare will also work nationally to tackle the stigma surrounding suicide and to raise awareness.

Former US President Bill Clinton is to visit Ireland to lend his support to the campaign. Mr Clinton will be the guest speaker at a fundraising gala dinner at the City West Hotel next month. It is estimated the service will cost around €1.3m in the first year.

The Samaritans can be contacted on 1850 609090.