Irish research influenced report

Irish research influenced key recommendations in the World Health Organisation’s first global report calling for more suicide prevention strategies.

The WHO report, published this week ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day this Wednesday, is a call for action to reduce suicide worldwide.

Key recommendations in the report, such as the need for surveillance systems of suicide and non-fatal suicide behaviour, were guided by the work of the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF).

The Irish National Registry of Deliberate Self- Harm was also included as an example.

More than 800,000 people globally die by suicide every year and many more attempt suicide.

In Ireland every year, around 550 people die by suicide, with around 12,000 self-harm presentations to hospitals.

Director of research at the NSRF, Professor Ella Arensman, spoke at the launch of the report in Geneva, Switzerland, as part of her role as president of the International Association for Suicide Prevention.

Later, Prof Arensman said it was encouraging that the work of the NSRF guided some of the report’s key objectives.

“It is also unique that Ireland is still the only country with a national registry of self-harm presentations to hospitals,” she said.

Prof Arensman said the WHO report was timely because, since last year, following the WHO Mental Health Action Plan 2013 to 2020, all member states committed themselves to reducing the suicide rate by 2020.

“This report will be of great benefit in assisting governments in working towards this target,” she said.

NSRF executive director, Eileen Williamson, said the foundation was invited to the launch of the report principally because of its track record in suicide research and having established a national registry of deliberate self-harm.

“The report is timely given the development in Ireland of a new suicide prevention strategy that will be launched early in 2015,” she said.

Head of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Professor Ivan J Perry, said the report represented an important milestone in the ongoing work of defining and tackling the global burden of death and suffering from suicide and self-harm. “This remains a major challenge for Ireland, both for Government and society,” said Prof Perry.

The WHO recommends that countries involve a range of government departments in developing a comprehensive coordinated response.