Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)

I call on the Government to show political will to reduce the number of people dying by suicide each year. Social change and increased materialism are bringing about an identity crisis in young people. While the Celtic tiger has undoubtedly brought many benefits, it has also brought many new challenges, particularly for adolescents.

Why, at a time of great prosperity, do so many people feel such despair that each year an average of 500 individuals take their lives and in excess of 10,000 present at accident and emergency departments having attempted to take their lives or engaged in self-harm? Why are so many of our young people in such crisis that they decide to end their lives? Ireland has the fifth highest suicide rate in the European Union among 15 to 24 year olds and suicide is the chief cause of death for those aged under 25 years. This dark side of the Celtic tiger is ignored.

It is increasingly difficult for a young person to find a meaningful identity. Those who are valued are the successful, the winners, those in third level education and high earners. People who are not in these categories struggle to find their identity and may experience despair.

Six times more young males than females take their lives. The critical issue for male adolescents is to derive self-esteem and personal meaning from their identity and position in society. Issues of self and identity are now linked to materialism, consumerism and globalisation. Increased materialism has led to weaker social ties and a decline in neighbourliness. We live in an age of uncertainty, anxiety and narcissism in which the euro isworshipped. We have lost our way and no longer know what is of true value. Who we are has come to be determined by what we can buy. The overwhelming message being broadcast is that one is only as good as that which one can buy.

The constant bombardment with Americanised images and values can be seen daily, while at the same time traditional cultural icons and role models are ridiculed and reviled. Previous generations had a higher dependence on and belief in the pillars of society as sources of advice and guidance. The early part of the 21st century is replete with images of distrust, from clerical abuse to political scandal. Doctors kill, politicians are corrupt and businesses bribe and cheat.

Adolescence is a creation of modern society. In earlier times, individuals moved from being a child to being an adult, with no stage of transition. When resources were scarce and individuals had to contend with daily survival in the basic sense there was no time for adolescents to discover themselves. An individual was either a child and dependent or an adult who provided for himself or herself. The emergence of adolescence has offered psychological time and space for individuals to consider their future when they grow up and offers limitless choices. It has enormous positive advantage in that young people are given an opportunity to choose their career and to decide and influence their own success. The negative aspect is that the adolescent is also free to fail. Adolescence is a dangerous mix, a time of opportunity and pressure to succeed. If we were left in doubt about the impact of such uncertainty and distrust on our young people, the suicide figures for Ireland over the past ten years indicate that something maladaptive and unhealthy is taking place.

Nobody disputes the benefits that have been brought about by the Celtic tiger, but there is a dark side which cannot be ignored. There is an urgent need for comprehensive research into how we can address the complex issues that lead to so many of our young people, especially young men, taking their own lives.

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