Noel Grealish (Galway West, Progressive Democrats)

I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on the tragic issue of suicide. Everyone has been affected by suicide as we all know someone, or people close to someone who has died by suicide. In my constituency, Galway West, eight people have become so concerned about depression and suicide among young people that they are establishing a support group. Rather than focusing on mental health problems, the group plans to promote positive mental health among children and teenagers. A similar model exists in many American schools. Students are identified who may have worries about bullying and other issues. I wish this initiative well.

This issue is serious. We need to look no further than the statistics to realise that we must do more. There were 444 registered suicides in 2003, which is a harrowing toll for families and society. As Minister for State with responsibility for mental health and disability services, my colleague Deputy Tim O'Malley has made exceptional efforts to tackle the issue of suicide. I commend him for his efforts and welcome his contribution to the debate last night.

Growing suicide rates are an international phenomenon. The question that dominates the entire debate is "why?". Why are more people tragically taking their lives? There are no simple answers and that is what makes this such a complex policy area. People have pointed to the decline in family, community and religious belief as contributing to the problem. At the same time, we have seen the ever increasing pressures of modern life, with an increased abuse of alcohol and drugs. Tackling any one of these issues on its own is a difficult task. Tackling them as a combined contributory factor in suicide rates is an extremely challenging task, but one we must meet head on.

It is crucial that we acknowledge the work of the 1998 national task force in producing its report on suicide, as well as the response of the statutory and voluntary bodies to the recommendations of the report. Discussions in this House might give the impression that the responses by the statutory and voluntary bodies have been less than committed. That is not the case. The recommendations of the task force are an important effort in tackling the complex policy areas to which I referred. In every health board area, responsibility for implementing these recommendations lies with the appointed resource officers and that is to be commended. These officers play an important role in not just implementing the findings of the task force, but also promoting positive mental health and destigmatising the suicide phenomenon. They are a critical element in addressing this tragic issue. The issue of stigma has been central in Ireland for many years.

The Irish Association of Suicidology held its annual conference in Galway last year and the same points were made. For far too long there existed in Ireland a stark silence following a suicide and even sometimes a lack of support for the bereaved. This made the loss of a loved one even more difficult to bear. The silence was often excused as merely being respectful. Even the media engaged in this by reporting suicide as a death in tragic circumstances. The conference in Galway heard that this issue only served to stigmatise and isolate the bereaved families. It also left society paralysed by the fear of suicide. The work of resource officers to destigmatise suicide by breaking the silence must continue. I am encouraged by the progress made on the national strategy on action on suicide prevention. It is critical the strategy is action based from the start and I am pleased that this has been confirmed.

We must make education the centre of wider suicide prevention programmes. Experts have highlighted the need to educate health professionals, the public and patients about the link between psychiatric problems and suicide.

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