John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State. A suicide is a tragic and shattering occurrence that not only brings a life to an untimely end, but also has a devastating impact on family and friends. My own family has experience of suicide and it is a crushing experience for everybody involved. Which of us here would not, had we known, have blanketed the person in danger with care, affection and support? However, in many cases we do not know that someone is going to commit suicide. Many of those who commit suicide are young men.

People need to reconsider their attitudes towards emotional health issues such as depression and stress. More people died through suicide here in 2001 than were killed in road traffic accidents. According to official statistics from the CSO, in 2001 there were 448 suicides compared to 366 road deaths. Almost 40% of these suicides occurred in the last three months of the year. The number of deaths officially reported as suicide, however, makes disheartening reading. The total is up 8.5% to 448. The figures also give rise to concerns about the social pressures brought on by our economic boom because they show that the number committing suicide in 2001 was 83% higher than in 1987, when we were in the grip of a sharp economic downturn. The figures confirm that suicide is now the second biggest cause of death among people in the 15 to 25 age group and that almost 80% of those who commit suicide are male.

I have used a number of statistics, but I know the House recognises that there are sad facts behind them. We need to educate patients, family members, providers and policymakers about depression in order to reduce the stigma associated with it. We must train primary care personnel in the diagnosis and management of depression, implement policies supportive of improving care for those who suffer from it and provide effective management of depression in primary care. Mental disorders, particularly depression and substance abuse, are associated with more than 90% of all suicides. However, suicide results from many complex socio-cultural factors and is more likely to occur during periods of socio-economic, family and individual crisis.