Are suicides Increasing?

nlgbbbblth wrote: »

That's a lot - you've had it tough.
While you say they're not "recorded" as suicides, are they acknowledged as such amongst the wider group of friends / relatives?

Acknowledged as such by family and friends, yes of course....
The problem isn't those affected by suicide acknowledging it, and there are some fantastic groups in the Limerick area doing absolutely trojan work both in the realm of prevention and in post-suicide bereavement counselling and so on.
The problem is this.
In 10yrs I have been personally acquainted with 43 suicides, deaths acknowledged and accepted by all those involved as suicide.
The vast majority young men of my own age(I'm almost 34 now) but across the spectrum of Sex and age.

Of those 43 suicides only 4 were officially recorded by the Coroners court as suicide!
That is less than 10% of the total!
It is these officially recorded numbers that are the basis for the continuing government line of ''500'' suicides per year.
The death certificate/coroners court figures are the cornerstone of the Government spending plans for dealing with the Suicide crisis.
In my own albeit limited experience of the numbers.

Yes Suicide is dealt with much more openly nowadays in the Media and there is a growing awareness of the need for dedicated mental health strategy and anti suicide campaign.

Unfortunately, a story in the media means nothing to the beancounters in the policy making positions of Government Vs their own CSO statistics.
It boils down to a cooking of the books in how the numbers are reported.
The level of ''proof'' required for a Coroner to declare a Suicide in Ireland is exceptionally high, a coroner cannot decide that someone may have meant to take their own life without incontrovertible proof.
See this article where a coroner of 12yrs standing states he has NEVER recorded a suicide verdict.

Akrasia wrote: »

There is a strong legal incentive for the family of suicide victims to record their death as an open verdict or misadventure as life assurance will not pay out in cases of suicide

This is incorrect.
Life assurance actuaries include suicide in their calculations and while most policies incude a ''Suicide Clause'' and will not pay out for a suicide in the 1st 2yrs from the date of policy inception after this period has elapsed, Suicide does not preclude settlement.
It is always dependant on Policy wording but in general once the clause period has passed(Generally 2yrs) the policy treats Suicide same as any other death.
The calculations used to determine the risks for the Insurance companies take Suicide into account and the clause is designed to ensure someone doesn't take out a policy and ''act'' a few weeks later.