Suicide/self-harm rates fall but still higher than in boom

Suicide and self-harm rates have fallen but are still significantly higher than before the recession began.

New figures revealed by two separate in-depth national reports into the dual crises revealed the situation yesterday — warning Cork and Kerry are among the worst-hit parts of the country.

The HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention’s 2012 annual report shows a total of 495 deaths were provisionally recorded as suicides in 2010.

While this is a fall from 552 in 2009 and 506 in 2008, it is still higher than any period during the height of the Celtic Tiger, when average yearly levels stood at just over 480.

A further 123 deaths were provisionally recorded as “undetermined” in 2010, the latest figures available.

This rate is significantly higher than any period over the past decade, and nearly double the 2009 figure of 74 suspect cases.

In 2006, at the height of the economic boom, there were 460 provisional suicide and 82 “undetermined” deaths.

National Suicide Research Foundation director of research Prof Ella Arensman welcomed the reduction but urged caution as the rates are still provisional and may be subject to change.

Among the worst-hit areas of the country were Kerry, Leitrim, Cork, Westmeath and north Tipperary, while Longford, Dublin and Donegal were the counties least affected.

While Ireland’s provisional suicide rate is the sixth lowest in the EU, this country still has the fourth highest rate among 15-24-year-olds — indicating a hidden impact of the recession.

According to the NOSP research, four out of every five (82%) people who died by suicide in 2010 were men, with 42% of all deaths relating to men under the age of 40.

Women are considered to be most at risk in their late 50s and early 60s, while the youngest cases involved children in their early teens.

A second study by the National Suicide Research Foundation focusing on deliberate self-harm found a total of 12,010 cases last year.

The level, which includes 9,483 people who were repeat emergency department attendees, is 2% lower than in 2011 but still a worrying 12% higher than in 2007.

Among the age groups worst affected are teen girls and young men in their early 20s — with officials suggesting previous widespread beliefs that self-harm is entirely separate from suicide may have to be re-examined.

Mental Health Minister Kathleen Lynch said deaths by suicide should be of concern to everyone in society, adding that, while the provisional reduction in figures compared with previous years is welcome, rates remain too high.

“The challenge of reducing suicide rates demands a very comprehensive and multi-layered response, with interventions at different levels and involving a range of stakeholders,” she said.