Some media coverage of suicide better than none, says coroner

A county coroner has said that some media coverage of suicide is better than none at all.

Wilfred Hoover said important concerns about copycat suicides must be balanced with the need for communities to be aware that there is a problem and help out as best they can.

He made his comments in the context of rising rates of suicide in Co Westmeath, with eight out of 18 inquests held in the first quarter of this year returning a verdict of death by suicide.

At 45%, the figure for three months is a significant increase of 27% for all of last year.

Speaking after yesterday’s May sitting of Westmeath Coroner’s Court, in which three out of the five deaths were ruled to be suicide, Dr Hoover said current figures did not bode well for the rest of the year.

“I hope that it would start showing a downward trend, starting immediately but that’s being hopeful, because figures don’t tally with optimism for the moment,” he said.

“Hopefully when things improve in general, those numbers will also come down.”

Suicide has multiple causes, he said, but financial pressure has a role to play in the significant numbers of people taking their own life.

Dr Hoover said people are affected by economic issues, from the ravages of inflation — most of which he attributed to austerity measures — to the lack of employment and lack of income.

He urged families and communities to be on the look-out for changes in friends and family which could be a result of depression.

“I’m sure a lot of families are concerned, given the increasing number [of suicides], and the fact that their own offspring are in trouble in terms of employment,” he said.

While provision could be better, he said there is a considerable help available in the community, provided by voluntary organisations or supported by the HSE.

Suicide is not an option, he said, adding that it causes immense loss to distressed families and “there is no need to go down that road”.

He urged as many people as possible to attend suicide awareness programmes, like the HSE’s ASIST programme.