Anna-Marie Flynn
MAYO has the third highest incidence of suicide in Connacht, with fears that unrecorded attempted suicide rates are also soaring.
Figures released by the Institute of Public Health (IPH) last week show that the county recorded eleven to 13 suicides per 100,000 population during the period from 2001 to 2004.
The figure increases to 13 -15 per 100,000 in Sligo and 15-17 in Leitrim.
According to the report, the rate of suicide is now 47 per cent higher in the Republic of Ireland than in Northern Ireland.
One counsellor based in Mayo told The Mayo News that ‘almost half’ of his clients have experienced suicidal thoughts or attempted taking their own lives.
“These figures may show that Mayo has the third highest suicide rate in the province but the really unfortunate thing is that many, many more people, not represented by these figures, have attempted suicide.”
Central Statistics Office figures put the suicide rate in Mayo in 2002 at 15.3 per 100,000, more than three points above the national figure.
The data published last week includes information on the four action areas set out by the National Task Force on Suicide.
A spokesperson said last week: “Ireland experienced one of the fastest rising suicide rates in the world between the 1980s and 1990s, with the incidence of suicide doubling over that timeframe. We set up a Task Force called Reach Out to span until 2014 and have laid down four priorities. They include a positive approach to mental health, a targeted approach to reduce the risk of suicide, responding to suicide and an informational approach to behaviour and where and how to get help.”
Currently youth suicide rates in Ireland are fifth highest in the European Union (World Health Organisation, 2005). Deliberate self-harm is also a problem.
According to the National Parasuicide Registry, over 11,000 cases of deliberate self-harm are seen in the A&E departments of the country’s hospitals.
