Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

I will not say I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on this subject because I wish there was no need to talk about it. However it is a reality and we must deal with it as it is.

Suicide is a very serious social problem in this country and everywhere else. It is a tragedy for any family. Unlike when somebody dies suddenly from an unsuspected illness or in a traffic accident, it has a different effect. I have experienced suicide in my own family and there is no question that it has a ripple effect which permeates right though the suffering family and includes the whole community. One of the great social implications of suicide is that close family members and friends will experience a sense of guilt and self-blame. They will wonder whether there was anything they could have done or said and whether they should have known in advance.

Senator Browne stated that 444 people died as a result of suicide in 2003. He referred to a statistic showing that somebody dies by suicide every 45 minutes.