Govt urged to tackle suicide problem

The Government must establish a national agency to co-ordinate radically-improved services for suicide – the biggest killer of 15 to 24 year-olds, it was claimed today.

Ten Dáil TDs have demanded a National Suicide Prevention Agency to oversee advice, counselling and treatment for people at risk in schools, colleges and across communities.

The Technical Group called for the immediate implementation of 86 recommendations of the 1998 Report of the National Task Force on Suicide and a Strategic Action Plan to treat the issue as a national priority.

A two-day Dáil debate has been sparked by a private members’ motion in the name of TDs Paudge Connolly, Tony Gregory, Jerry Cowley, James Breen, Seamus Healy, Catherine Murphy, Finian McGrath, Paddy McHugh, Joe Higgins and Marian Harkin.

Mr Connolly, who moved the motion on behalf of his colleagues, said: “Official statistics show 444 people died from suicide in Ireland in 2004: 50% more than the road death numbers.

“Ireland’s suicide rate is now rising faster than any other EU country and the rate of females taking their own lives has doubled between 1992 and 2000.

“There isn’t a neighbourhood that hasn’t been touched by this hidden tragedy,” said Green Party TD John Gormley, speaking on the motion.

He described alcohol as “Ireland’s biggest drug problem” and blamed it for causing depression.

Replying to the motion, Minister of State for Health Brian Lenihan said that the Government had initiated a number of measures to tackle suicide, including a National Suicide Review Group, and had hired Suicide Resource Officers in each health service area.

The Government today proposed an amendment to the motion, which was described as ‘disgraceful’ by Technical Group members.

The motion is due to be voted upon this afternoon.

Speaking earlier on the motion, Labour health spokesperson Liz McManus said that only some 20% of young males in Ireland who kill themselves have been in contact with a health professional in the year prior to their death.

She explained: “There are simply too few social workers, clinical psychologists and addiction counsellors. Community mental health teams are often only available between 9am and 5pm.

“The development of Primary Care teams and Primary Care networks would provide more accessible health professionals so that GPs and hospitals have support in managing at risk clients.

“As things stand nearly 50% of the country’s medical card-holders do not have access to general counselling services.

“Three of the Health Service Executive areas covering 12 counties do not have any counsellors to deal with routine cases of anxiety and depression.”

Sinn Féin TD Sean Crowe described suicide as a "massive social problem" and called for Government leadership on the issue.

“Of course suicide can never be completely eliminated but experience in other countries has shown that with proper planning, with resources and services, and with a determination on the part of policy-makers, lives can be saved and many families can be spared the grief of the death of a loved one.”