David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

I welcome the Minister to the House. I am very pleased this is one of the debates we were able to secure in the early stages of this year. I know it is very difficult for the Leader to arrange statements and debates on the first week of the term but our achieving it on this important issue shows the sense of purpose and interest that exists across all parties and among Independents in respect of doing more about suicide prevention.

Senator Gilroy stated there is cross-party support to ensure investment in education, prevention and intervention such that awareness will be raised not only about suicide but also about depression, with a view to dealing with many of the stigmas that are unfortunately associated with them.

Suicide, as Senators have said, has touched us all. Just before Christmas, somebody with whom I had a very close relationship died from suicide and left three young children behind. She was a single mother. We can all give examples of the trauma and hurt caused among affected families and communities. Senator Keane referred to all the unanswered questions. We need to ensure that we raise awareness regarding suicide.

I will deal with the issue of depression because I have experience of it in my family and among other sufferers. I have done a lot of work with a number of pioneering general practitioners in Waterford who have done considerable research in this area. One wrote a book about depression and spoke about the need for proper awareness raising in regard to the issues associated with depression. This leads me to a number of key points.

It is important that we put on record the context and the figures. It has been said that CSO figures for 2009 show the number of suicides was 527. I appreciate that for each individual victim, there is a grieving family. We need to be cognisant of the human element but the figures are important for us to understand that suicide comprises a very emotive and important issue. Unfortunately, more people die from suicide than on our roads. That is a very difficult reality for us to accept.

In January 2010, the CSO stated there were 127 deaths from suicide registered in the second quarter of 2010. Of those, 102 were male and 25 were female. In the same period in 2009, 122 deaths were registered, 94 of which were male and 28 female. Geoff Day, the director of the National Office for Suicide Prevention states in his office's annual report for 2009 that international research indicates that during an economic downturn, the number of suicides increases. He states the size of the increase, based on the provisional figures, is extremely worrying and that the the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009 in Ireland and across Europe has led to substantial increases in both self-harm and suicide numbers. It is a fact that when one loses a job and faces all the concomitant difficulties, including the pressure of trying to pay bills, there is an impact on one's mental health. Even if we do not have national research results to prove there is a correlation - there is international research to prove it – we can accept that the downturn leads to an increase in the rate of depression.

I thank Mr. Hanafin of Amnesty International for providing me with some information on what is happening in Greece. In that country in 2010, there was a 40% increase in the suicide rate. There was a 400% increase in the number of individuals calling support lines and call centres. We do not have the same increase in Ireland, I am thankful, but the Samaritans have put on record that there was a 9% increase in the number contacting the organisation in 2011. One in eight of those calls was related to the economic recession. We can accept this is a problem.

The WHO stated collaboration with the employment sector on mental health policy is vital. It has suggested that we implement measures, in co-operation with employers, to safeguard the mental health of employees.

Let me talk about employment and unemployment because a number of Senators have focused on a number of other issues and some of the target groups, including lesbians, gays, the transgender community and young people, including young males. A disproportionate number of young male Travellers die from suicide. The focus can be on unemployment and all the pressures associated therewith.

Many people in employment suffer from employment-related stress. In 2007, the health and well-being employment strategy was put in place under the auspices of the Taoiseach's office. It called for awareness raising and worked with employers to ensure an employee suffering from stress or depression would be given the supports he or she may require. Unfortunately, the stigma associated with depression lends itself to those individuals not seeking the support they may need. Awareness must also be raised among the general population as the families of people suffering from depression need support too.

Suicide prevention needs to be made an area of co-operation under the North-South Ministerial Council to give the issue the strategic co-ordination it requires. We need to frame and implement a fully resourced, comprehensive all-island suicide prevention strategy including actions to promote mental health among the general population delivered through schools, youth services, workplaces and the media. Mental health promotion actions need to be targeted at specific sections of the population while incorporating their diverse needs into tailored suicide prevention sub-strategies. We need mental health promotion and suicide prevention actions targeting groups identified as higher risk and assist those bereaved through suicide.

While I support the Government's efforts in suicide prevention, I hope we will move away from coming up with but not implementing good policies, such as A Vision for Change and the health and well-being employment strategy. If there is a need for a reorientation of resources in the health services for suicide prevention, I hope it will be achieved. I also hope the Minister will take on board some of the constructive proposals I outlined.