More young people attempting suicide, warns report

The number of attempted suicides among young Irish people increased by 7% last year, according to a report published today by the National Suicide Foundation.

The foundation said attempted suicides among men in their early to mid-20s increased by 8% in 2003, while the number of women attempting suicide in their mid to late teens was up 5%.

Fine Gael TD Dan Neville, who is President of the Irish Association of Suicidology, said the figures actually hide a bigger problem because they fail to take account of people who do not seek treatment.

"The figures themselves are for those who attempted suicide [and] who attended accident and emergency at our hospitals," he said.

"The true figures are several times that of the statistics outlined today."