LAST UPDATE | 13 hrs ago

JUST BEFORE THE Dáil rose for its summer recess, I took the opportunity to talk about the very important issue of suicide prevention. I raised it from a place of concern and from a place of care: care for anyone who is grieving the loss of a partner, a family member or a friend; for everyone who has dedicated their professional lives to contributing to better outcomes when it comes to suicide and mental health in Ireland; and, most of all, for those struggling each and every day to make it to the next.

The most recent confirmed and comprehensive statistics available to us are from 2021. In that year, 512 people in Ireland died by suicide. For every ten of those people, eight were men, and several studies have shown us that men are much less likely to seek out mental health supports than women, even when things have gotten dire.

Despite a general decline over the last 25 years, Ireland still has one of Europe’s highest rates for suicide in young adults, alongside Bulgaria, Malta and Romania. At home, annual deaths by suicide are three times greater than road fatalities in a country where it’s rare a week goes by without hearing about someone who has lost their life in a traffic accident.

Research by Queen’s University Belfast from last year shows that 70% of male victims of domestic violence have considered suicide. At the same time, Ireland ranks in the bottom half of 42 countries in terms of adolescent well-being, while our youth suicide rate is above the international average. A recent survey from Aware shows that one third of men reported not seeking help with their mental health

I acknowledge the wonderful work being done by the HSE and by youth workers, therapists, school communities, social workers, volunteers, communities and wider society. My considered concern, however, is for the people of........

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