Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)

Ireland has the second highest incidence of suicide in Europe. In 2003, 577 people took their own lives, the majority being young men. We need to look at the reasons behind this. What is the reason behind the rising suicide rate? I think there has been a 25% rise in suicides over the last ten years, particularly in young males. We need to examine the social deprivation and inequalities in our society if we are to find a remedy for this enormous tragedy that is inflicted on many families each year.

Suicide touches the life of every Deputy numerous times each year when their constituents endure the pain of suicide. The enormous pressures facing young people, particularly within the education system, are a major contributing factor in suicides. We grade children like cattle on a points system. Children are expected to obtain a certain amount of points in examinations. When certain people are unable to obtain this amount, they find it very difficult to come to terms with it.

We also need to examine the structures that are there to help people, particularly young people, who are experiencing trauma. It is fair to say that the pain of mental and emotional trauma is far worse than any physical pain. We must also look at the mistakes of the past. At one time, there was a considerable stigma associated with the tragedy of a person taking his or her life, which was largely due to the attitude of the institutional churches. This stigma added to the pain of surviving family members. There is a need for structures and caring preventative measures to be put in place and resources to implement them. We need a national suicide strategy as a priority and we need the resources to implement it on an all-Ireland basis.

See this speech in context