Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach. Ábhar an-tábhachtach é seo.

We are told that the most important resource any country has is its people. If that is the case, the loss of any of them for any reason is a tragedy of great magnitude. Of all tragedies that befall families from time to time, none is so great as that of suicide. If a person commits suicide, it has a devastating effect on their extended family, their neighbourhood and their circle of fiends and casts a long shadow over them. Why are people driven to suicide? If we knew the answer, we would not be discussing this subject.

Despite the resources that have been put into suicide prevention, the problem continues to grow. Suicide prevention is not yet an exact science. It does not take account of any given section of the community and is not provided with the names or addresses of those who might commit suicide. Such a person can be anyone, living anywhere and engaged in any occupation.

The rise in the level of suicide continues to be confined to males. The overall rate of male suicides started from a relatively low base and has risen to 24 per 100,000 of the male population. The overall female rate has remained relatively stable by comparison. However, it is difficult to interpret suicide figures over short periods or in small areas because of the significant variation in the overall rate and in terms of gender and age.

Within the male population, there is some variation in terms of age groups. In particular, a large proportion of the rise can be accounted for by an increase in the rate among young men. I worked in the psychiatric service for a number of years. Depression and suicidal tendencies among older sections of the community were, and continue to be, quite common. The suicide rate among young males has risen almost sevenfold to over 30 per 100,000 population, which is a staggering increase.