Republic's suicide rate 47% higher than Northern Ireland

[White Horse]

Just this weekend past a childhood friend of mine committed suicide following a breakup with his long term girlfriend.

I have been stunned as to the number of people I have known personally who have taken their lives.

Now I see in the Irish Times that the suicide rate is 47% higher than in Northern Ireland. The Institue of Public Health in Ireland speculate that there may be some discepancy regarding the way statistics are collected. However, the scake of the disparity between the two parts of Ireland are alarming.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/bre ... king83.htm

[Stíofán]

I was reading a piece in the IT months ago, which was interviewing some coroners around the country. Some of them were sure a certain percentage of road fatalaties were suicides, though were obviously not ruled as such.

So if anything, the ROIs figures are under-reported.

[meriwether]

I was reading a piece in the IT months ago, which was interviewing some coroners around the country. Some of them were sure a certain percentage of road fatalaties were suicides, though were obviously not ruled as such.

So if anything, the ROIs figures are under-reported.

Yeah, Ive heardthat anecdote too.

Too many young men dying on good roads not under the influence, was the theory.

[patslatt]

It is interesting to speculate as to what may be causing the North-South divide on suicide rates.The North's traditional, old fashioned religious and conservative values contrast with a weakening of those values among youth in the South and may be inhibiting suicide.

As well,The Troubles strengthened the sense of community cohesion and togetherness on each side. Typically in warfare,people become friendlier and mental illnesses drop dramatically. For example,when you travel in silence on London's Underground today,it is hard to imagine that people chatted to strangers there during the WWII Blitz.

Southern Ireland's economic progress has left NI far behind in income levels but maybe the South is paying a price in terms of an increasingly materialistic consumerist culture. This culture puts a lot of pressure on those who aren't keeping up with the consumerist lifestyles and some may feel unhappy and isolated socially. And with the emphasis on watching TV ("TVing it" as poor black Americans say,meaning TV as the sole hobby ),the Internet and video games,people are discouraged from visiting the neighbours for a chat,which increases social isolation.

[Gimpanzee]

suicide figures are nothing more than a bad estimate. Comparisons on suicide rates are worthless.

[White Horse]

Southern Ireland's economic progress has left NI far behind in income levels but maybe the South is paying a price in terms of an increasingly materialistic consumerist culture. This culture puts a lot of pressure on those who aren't keeping up with the consumerist lifestyles and some may feel unhappy and isolated socially.

This is a good point and may be a contributory factor.

However, as Northern Ireland is in a post conflict situation, you would normally expect an increase in suicide due to PTSD.

[Geekzilla]

Southern Ireland's economic progress has left NI far behind in income levels but maybe the South is paying a price in terms of an increasingly materialistic consumerist culture. This culture puts a lot of pressure on those who aren't keeping up with the consumerist lifestyles and some may feel unhappy and isolated socially.

This is a good point and may be a contributory factor.

However, as Northern Ireland is in a post conflict situation, you would normally expect an increase in suicide due to PTSD.

I've a vague memory that there was a study showing the North had higher rates of mental illnes, which could be due to PTSD.

[Geekzilla]

Just this weekend past a childhood friend of mine committed suicide following a breakup with his long term girlfriend.

I have been stunned as to the number of people I have known personally who have taken their lives.

Now I see in the Irish Times that the suicide rate is 47% higher than in Northern Ireland. The Institue of Public Health in Ireland speculate that there may be some discepancy regarding the way statistics are collected. However, the scake of the disparity between the two parts of Ireland are alarming.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/bre ... king83.htm

Getting accurate figures is difficult enough, as stigma over suicide, uncertainty in the circumstances of death and a coroner being unwilling to raise it with a grieving family are issues.

I suspect there are many reasons, but it's hard to say without a comprehensive study of why these tragedies happen.

[pikey]

Getting accurate figures is difficult enough, as stigma over suicide, uncertainty in the circumstances of death and a coroner being unwilling to raise it with a grieving family are issues.

I suspect there are many reasons, but it's hard to say without a comprehensive study of why these tragedies happen.

Any study would have to go beyond merely asking why , but why so many here ? Why does our country/system/culture have such a difficulty with this thing ?