Two-thirds of suicides had history of self-harm, study shows

The study found that in the 145 cases where there was information on mental health, illnesses included depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. Picture: Stock image

Two-thirds of those who died by suicide had a history of self-harm, but of those 35% had not been seen or treated following the previous episode.

A new study, which analysed 307 suicides in the Cork area over a five-year period built up profiles of those who had died and found that in 162 cases, there was no documentation as to whether or not the deceased had a mental health diagnosis.