No increase in deaths by suicide in Cork during pandemic, research finds

Prof Ella Arensman said the pandemic had undoubtedly had an impact on public mental health and there would be a need to ensure adequate access to support services as time progresses.

New data has found no significant increase in either deaths by suicide in Co Cork last year, or in self-harming presentations to hospitals nationally for the first 10 months of 2020.

Briefing papers published by the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF) carried the provisional data, which showed 40 deaths by suicide in Co Cork in 2020 and slightly lower overall rates of self-harm presentations to 18 hospitals around the country between January and October.