Over 10 deaths per week from suicide in Ireland

Dionysus

Not a happy topic but here goes. I've just seen this on RTÉ News: http://www.rte.ie/news/av/2011/0214/media-2906550.html#

That's over 500 people per year in Ireland take their own lives ("commit suicide" implies they've committed a crime; suicide has not been a crime in Ireland since 1993). That's a huge number of lives in a small society like this.

Anyway, this news came on the same day as I had a chat with a kid whose Dad took his own life two years ago. The kid is still going around in disarray and the person who's now looking after him is desperate to find a male role model for him. I never knew somebody directly affected by it until now. Has anybody else experience of a friend or relative taking his/her own life?


Pieta House

AckwelFoley

Dionysus wrote: »

Has anybody else experience of a friend or relative taking his/her own life?

Yea, and i think you will find many people know of someone that has taken their own life

mickydoomsux

Your maths is off by 4500.

Zascar

The reason they do not discuss these things too actively in the media is because the more exposure it gets, the most people commit suicide. Very unfortunate but that's why its not plastered all over the media, it actually just makes things worse...

brendansmith

Dionysus wrote: »

("commit suicide" implies they've committed a crime; suicide has not been a crime in Ireland since 1993).

I dont see the relevence.

Kasabian

10 people a week is shocking.

oeb

To be honest, I think you would be very hard pressed to find someone who did not have someone they know take their own lives. Especially in smaller towns.

Kasabian

mickydoomsux wrote: »

Your maths is off by 4500.

Typo?

Captain_Generic

Kasabian wrote: »

10 people a week is shocking.

For a second there I confused your sig for sarcasm:p

biko

Why is poll public? Maybe not everyone wants to have their name public in a sensitive poll like this.

phasers

Thankfully I don't know anyone who did. My brother does though, I think three of his friends have killed themselves.

Where To

whats the reason for a public poll??

westendgirlie

Sad to say over the years I have known more than 5 people who have taken their own lives

RichieC

biko wrote: »

Why is poll public? Maybe not everyone wants to have their name public in a sensitive poll like this.

Didnt realise it was public :mad:

HooterSnout

I think everyone knows of a family who has been affected. It's very tragic and a few lame ads on RTE don't address the issue remotely close to how it should be.

KnifeWRENCH

Never known anyone myself, thankfully.

Aodan83

Don't know anyone myself, but there was a guy in the year below me in school took his own life, and I think there was a guy in my younger brothers class a couple of years ago as well. Not sure about that one though.

mickydoomsux

I'm not so sure that you can "prevent" suicide in a lot of cases.

Some people are just going to do it either way, no amount of awareness campaigns are going to stop someone killing themselves over some young one turning them down or somesuch (i only use this example because young males have the highest suicide rates).

sashafierce

This post has been deleted.

murf313

Its a shocking alright. Ive came across a disproportionate amount of suicides in the past 18months as a paramedic. I remember 4 males in an 8 day period at one stage. Its very common in the midlands. Its very tough on the families and the emergency personnel who have to clean up the mess afterwards....

Pace2008

Dionysus wrote: »

That's over 5000 people per year in Ireland take their own lives ("commit suicide" implies they've committed a crime; suicide has not been a crime in Ireland since 1993). That's a huge number of lives in a small society like this.

There are no negative connotations attached to the term "committing suicide." I'd never even considered the origin of the term till you brought it up there.

biko

RichieC wrote: »

Didnt realise it was public :mad:

If you like I can make it anonymous?

grrrrrrrrrr

10 x 52 = 520. Not 5000. Still a shocking number.
I think it has a sort of domino effect too

gargleblaster

mickydoomsux wrote: »

I'm not so sure that you can "prevent" suicide in a lot of cases.

Some people are just going to do it either way, no amount of awareness campaigns are going to stop someone killing themselves over some young one turning them down or somesuch (i only use this example because young males have the highest suicide rates).

homosexuals are vastly overrepresented in suicide rates. i would suspect it might have something to do with that. perhaps what might help for those cases at least is an awereness campaign that being homosexual is ok.

Dr. Baltar

When I was in secondary school a fella came into our class to talk about road safety. I believe there was a bout 28 of us in the class. He told us that 4 or 5 people in the room wouldn't see 30 due to suicide and car accidents.

I'm 20 years of age now and 3 people in that room are dead. Scary stuff.

mickydoomsux

gargleblaster wrote: »

perhaps what might help for those cases at least is an awereness campaign that being homosexual is ok.

Unfortunately the kind of people that cause a lot of these young lads to kill themselves through verbal&physical abuse would just laugh at an awareness campaign.

dreababyluxe

My own father took his life almost 11 years ago now but it just feels like yesterday. I was 11. His actions still affect me and my family today, my mother has never recovered - she found him. My cousin also took his life a few years before my father...so it was talked about in our family and I was told by my parents, aunts, uncles etc that it was a crime and actually believed it was til a few years ago. Things have not been easy for my family over the years, or for me as an individual and I will admit I've considered it a few times but I'm too ambitious and don't want to give up and give in just yet so I'm fighting my way hoping something will work in my favour. My point is I can understand how people can see no other option but to opt out of life...and it's such a pity that we as a population don't take depression as seriously as we should do and rather than treat it as attention seeking or a nuisance like we tend to, we should recognise it is an illness...and a very serious one which can be terminal if not treated. I'm sure it's said often enough but it's a bigger killer than car accidents apparently and look how much notice is paid to that in comparison.

foxinsox

biko wrote: »

If you like I can make it anonymous?

I would prefer it to be a private poll..

I'm sure maybe others would too..

No major deal, just think it would be better.

biko

Poll now anonymous.

Ev84

phasers wrote: »

Thankfully I don't know anyone who did. My brother does though

Did you not know your brother? :rolleyes:

On a more serious note, i have three friends who have commit suicide over the years (R.I.P lads) and have heard of so many more... people i barely knew. Two cases recently. It's a big problem in Ireland and needs to be brought to light.

dreababyluxe wrote: »

we as a population don't take depression as seriously as we should do and rather than treat it as attention seeking or a nuisance like we tend to, we should recognise it is an illness...and a very serious one which can be terminal if not treated.

I completely agree with you...

Snakeblood

You could add an option for attempted suicide maybe? I know someone who tried.

amacachi

Ev84 wrote: »

Did you not know your brother? :rolleyes:

By that logic everyone knows everyone.

Leftyflip

Kind of disturbing when nearly 80% of the people who have voted in the poll, have been affected by suicide

dsmythy

Once about 15 years ago. Never since.

Sofiztikated

I known a few people do it. The first time I came into close contact with it was when the brother of one of the lads I use to run with put the fathers shotgun to his head. I think we were 11 at the time.

Tragic.

I threatened it once, but I was full as a tick, half the countryside away from my girlfriend, and I rang her, and some guy answered the phone. Well I lost it completely, though she was seeing some other guy, threatened to swallow a heap of pills with vodka. It was a stupid emotional reaction, but I can see how it could spiral into something further.

Now, her sister has attempted it on a couple of occasions. It's usually a cry for attention. The second last time was the night we announced our engagement to her family, and it was the same night as her mothers birthday dinner.

I also think there's a lot more suicide by car crash than people think, all those single vehicle, single occupant serious crashes?

Ev84

amacachi wrote: »

By that logic everyone knows everyone.

Are you f**king serious? I was joking obviously. go quote someone else...

Lia_lia

I know a few people.

A friends Father did a few years ago. A childhood friends little brother did last year. (he was only 17)

And one of my brothers friends killed himself three years ago. That's the one the hit me the most! He came from a big, supportive family. Always seemed very happy and positive. Then he committed suicide. Was only 15

Actually I know of many men/boys that have killed themselves in my town, but no women.

Latchy

There are several people I know who commited suicide but I know of more people who died young of alcohol /drug related deaths which may have contributed towards their suicide .But in some cases it's hard to know if they intended to take their life or accidental overdose and most would have being before the present downturn in the economy .

WesternNight

Wasn't a friend or relative, but it has affected me as if it had been. More than 8 years later and it might as well have been last week.

crosstownk

Unfortunately, I voted more than one.

A very good friend of mine did this a few years back. He had a few beers then popped a load of over-the-counter painkillers and left a note. All of this was backed up by the Gardaí and the pathologist.

Surprisingly, at the inquest it was not deemed suicide - it was given an 'open verdict'.

WindSock

All of the most recent suicides I have heard of are a parent in their 50's or 60's. 3 of them mothers, one a father, all possibly from debt or a break up or both.

sashafierce

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Son Of A Vidic

Ireland's hidden curse being kept under the carpet. I wonder are a large number of these tragic deaths influenced by any of the following factors. Loss of job/income, financial trouble, loss of a family home, no future/no prospects to name but a few. How many Bankers, big developers or politicians have committed suicide recently, oh of course I forgot - none! If some of them had even a slight sliver of honour, they should do us all a favour.

baldbear

In Austrailia there has been a suicide task force and Jim Stynes has been involved . Maybe our government should get advice from people like Jim or other countrys where initiatives have some success.

deelite

Lia_lia wrote: »

Actually I know of many men/boys that have killed themselves in my town, but no women.

I was only thinking about that the other day - over the past couple months a few women I know personally have gone into St. Brendans for "treatment" (they all attempted to commit suicide - all related to broken down relationships). All of the women were in their mid 30's to mid 40's. I have never heard personally of any young man / older men being sent in for "treatment".

I'm just wondering do men not admit to going in for treatment - or is it that they never feel comfortable asking for help?

shuyin1

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world and on average nearly 100 people take their own lives every day

Miniscule compared to japan.

snickerpuss

shuyin1 wrote: »

Miniscule compared to japan.

Yeah, but Japan supposedly have a population of 127 million whereas we have a population of 4 million. (Thank you Wikipedia)

phasers

Ev84 wrote: »

Did you not know your brother? :rolleyes:

Ahaha... ha...

Run_to_da_hills

I knew four people in the Ennis area alone that committed suicide in the last five years, two from a renowned location along the Clare coast.

RIP.

Debthree

I don't really understand why people didn't like the poll being public. Aren't we all agreeing here that suicide shouldn't be brushed under the carpet? That it needs to be openly discussed?

My 17 year old spent the day at a Suicide Awareness talk yesterday with the rest of his class and many other schools took part. So things are improving a bit in terms of awareness and support. There is now a number you can call if you're worried about somebody else being suicidal, whereas I remember years ago ringing The Samaritans because a friend was suicidal but they absolutely would not talk to me and they had no other number to give me. They would only talk to the suicidal person and she was adament against it. I'm glad awareness and support are increasing.

My aunt killed herself when I was 16. We still don't know why. A parent in my sons' school killed herself last year - she was one of the most upbeat, bubbly people I've ever met. But depression can be like that - major highs followed by major lows. She left behind two little boys, aged 5 and 7, who she absolutely loved with all her heart. She was never apart from them except when they were in school and I remember smiling often at her as when the kids came out of school she'd kind of run to them and hug them and spin them around etc, laughing and joking and they delighted in this. Then one day she was found hanging in her bedroom. Those poor boys.

By the way the numbers to call are:
SUICIDE AWARE HELPLINES: 083 398 3500 /087 799 8602 /1800 247 100 or 1800 742 745 or see SuicideAware.ie

shuyin1

snickerpuss wrote: »

Yeah, but Japan supposedly have a population of 127 million whereas we have a population of 4 million. (Thank you Wikipedia)

Flexed it up to 127mil for comparison, (520 / 4) * 127 = 16510 vs 36500. Japan's still a fair bit higher.