Alcohol or drugs were key factor in 80% of Cork suicide cases in study

Alcohol or drugs have been detected in eight out of 10 suicides examined in a study of 121 cases in Cork over a six-year period.

The analysis is one of the first to compare young people (aged 15-24) and adults (aged 25-34) in terms of socio-democratic factors, substance abuse and method characteristics.

The study was conducted by researchers attached to the National Suicide Research Foundation in University College Cork, the university’s Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, and St Patrick’s Mental Health Services in Cork.