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FACTS & FIGURES

Year	Number of suicides recorded	Actual suicides
2000	486	???
2001	448	???
2002	451	???
2003	444	???
2004	457	???
2005	442	???
2006	405	???
2007	460	???
2008	429	600 approx
2009	527	600 approx
2010	486	600 plus
Total	5035

The shocking figures above are the numbers of deaths this century in Ireland recorded as suicides by the Central Statistics Office. If you have lost someone you love to suicide, it may be painful to look at the numbers above, but we need to use facts to emphasise the extent of the problem and we do apologise if we upset you or cause you any more pain.

However the figures above do not tell the whole story. 527 suicides were recorded for 2009, yet the Irish Water Safety Board reported that 50 of the deaths recorded as drowning that year were actually suicides. On top of that, The coroners have to believe that a death is a suicide beyond all reasonable doubt before it can be recorded as such. Maybe this helps to explain why there were close to 195 undetermined deaths in that year. It is also estimated that 20-30 of the 241 road deaths recorded in 2009 were probably suicides. So you can see why the actual numbers of suicides that year was well above 600.

The most vulnerable age groups still seems to be Men in the 25-34 and 35-44 years with the 15-24 age group showing almost as many suicides. Ireland still has the 5th highest suicide rate in Europe (Including all former Russian Bloc countries) in the 15-24 year group.

Some more interesting information is listed below followed by some facts and myths taken from The Irish Association of Suicidology's web site which I hope will help you understand the situation even more. The Myths listed are actually commonly help beliefs for many people in Ireland and throughout the world and are real obstacles or barriers to people seeking the help they need and deserve.

Some warning signs
Most people who feel suicidal don't really want to die, they just want to end their pain.
These are some of the signs which may indicate that someone is having thoughts of suicide:

• Engaging in deliberate self-harm
  

• Talking about suicide
  

• Becoming isolated

• Drug and alcohol abuse

• Sudden changes in mood and behaviour

• Making 'final' arrangements

Associated risk factors

• Access to a method of suicide such as harmful medication or a firearm
  

• Loss of someone close such as a family member

• Impulsiveness and risk-taking behaviour
  

• Relationship or family break-up
  

How to Respond:

• Show you care by offering support, for example say something like: "I'm worried about you and I want to help"
  

• Don't shy away from the subject, if you are concerned that someone is acutely suicidal find out by asking them if they have plans to harm themselves
  

• Get help or encourage them to get help, for example by saying "I will stay with you until you can get help"

There are a wide range of supports and services that can help in a crisis, including:

• The local GP or family doctor

• GP out-of-hours co-operative services

• Accident and emergency departments of general hospitals

The voluntary sector also provides services to help people in crisis.

Please see the list of resources on the 'Help in your area' page, if you need help or advice.

More Facts

• Suicide is the biggest cause of death amongst men and women under the age of 35 on the island of Ireland.
  

• According to the World Health organisation The Republic of Ireland has the fifth highest rate of youth suicide in the European Union.
  

• It is suggested that more than 25% of adolescents have had suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives.

• A history of attempted suicide is the most important risk factor for future completed suicide

• Over 50% of people who die by suicide do so at the first attempt.

• With each additional attempt the risk for future completed suicide becomes greater.

Because suicide is such a taboo and complex subject, it is surrounded by a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding. Below is a list of the most common misconceptions about suicide and the truth taken from The Irish Association of Suicidology's web site at www.ias.ie

MYTHS & FACTS ASSOCIATED WITH SUICIDE

MYTH
"If someone is going to kill themselves there is nothing you can do about it"

FACT
If you can offer appropriate help and emotional support to people who are experiencing deep unhappiness and distress then you can reduce their risk of dying by suicide.

MYTH
"Suicidal people are fully intent on dying"

FACT
Suicide is not a lifestyle choice and it's dangerous to make it sound like one. The majority of people who die by suicide are ambivalent about living or dying and many who experience suicidal thoughts don't really want to die. They can't see a way to go on living with their emotional distress"

MYTH
"Talking about suicide encourages it"

FACT
On the contrary, talking about suicide in a controlled, supportive, educational and informative way will not encourage people to think of taking their own lives. Not to talk about suicide makes it much harder for someone to open up about their feelings and could prevent them finding a way forward

MYTH
"Suicide attempts are just cries for help- it's a form of attention seeking"

FACT
Those who have attempted suicide are 100 times more likely than the general population to actually die by suicide within a year of self harming. About 4 out of 10 people who take their own lives have attempted suicide earlier.

MYTH
"Only mentally ill/clinically depressed people make serious attempts at suicide"

FACT
Although the majority of people who end their lives by suicide are judged to have had some sort of psychiatric illness, often undiagnosed in their lifetime, feelings of desperation, helplessness and hopelessness can be better indicators of possible future suicide.

MYTH
"Once a person is suicidal, they are suicidal forever"

FACT
Suicidal feelings and suicidal intent are often of short duration and vary in intensity over time. Alcohol and drugs impact very directly on suicidal thoughts and behaviour in the short term. People can and do feel very differently about suicide if they receive time and space where they feel accepted and supported to examine all their options.

MYTH
"Suicide can be a blessed relief not just for the individual but for those that surround him or her"

FACT
The effects of suicide should not be trivialised. The loss of a loved one through suicide can leave profound feelings of loss, grief and guilt.

MYTH
"She killed herself because she was worried about her exam results"

FACT
No one takes their life for one single reason. Each person makes decisions based on an individual set of circumstances unique to them. It is not accurate to attribute the cause of suicide to one factor alone.