Suicide in rural areas linked to mental illness and economic issues

Mental illness, economic difficulty, and a male tendency to deny problems or refuse to seek help are contributing to the high level of suicide among men living in rural areas, a new study has found.

Men are three times more likely to take their own lives than women and rural populations are more at risk than urban communities.

As part of the UCD/ Teagasc survey of rural suicide, researchers interviewed 26 men following admission to a hospital or psychiatric unit. Nine participants came from remote rural areas, nine lived in town-lands and villages and eight came from rural towns. The age range was from 19 to 75 and the average age was 41.