The Government should set itself a target of reducing the incidence of suicide in the State by 20 per cent over the next 10 years, an Oireachtas committee has recommended.
The Joint Committee on Health and Children has made the recommendation after looking in depth at the problem of suicide in the Republic, which claimed 431 lives last year, more than were killed on our roads.
In a report published yesterday, the committee made more than 30 recommendations aimed at reducing the annual death toll from suicide in the State. It costed the measures it wants implemented at €60 million.
Committee chairman John Moloney called for immediate implementation of the report.
The report warns that the State could be exposed to compensation claims if certain services for those with mental health problems and suicidal tendencies are not improved. It points out that the shortage of in-patient beds for children and adolescents with mental health problems has been highlighted for years, but no progress has been made in addressing the problem.
"The families of those who have died by suicide, who can satisfactorily prove State negligence in service provision, might seek redress in this arena," it warns.
The waiting time for a routine outpatient appointment for our child and adolescent mental health services can be between six and 18 months, it points out.
"Those with mental illness are known to be at higher risk of death by suicide but the type of mental health service one can access is a matter of luck. Funding for mental health services is allocated in a random manner with scant regard for need," it adds.
The report says that while suicide is a major problem among young men, the incidence is also increasing among young women. The number of young women aged 15-24 years who had died by suicide had trebled between 1990 and 2004, it said.
"The sharp increase in rates of suicide in Ireland over the past two decades demands decisive action by Government," it says.
It attributes the suicide rate to several factors including increased alcohol consumption, increased wealth, greater fragmentation in society and a more secular lifestyle.
"The economic costs of suicide are significant with the human and indirect costs of suicide in Ireland estimated at €871.5 million in 2001." The 11,000 or so cases of attempted suicide which end up in hospital annually are just the tip of the iceberg, it adds.
And it expresses concern about the care afforded to those who do turn up in hospital after a suicide attempt. "Not all of those that present to hospital following an episode of suicidal behaviour are assessed by a trained mental health professional, given the haphazard dispersal of resources and thus an opportunity to reduce repeat acts that will have a fatal outcome for some, is missed."
The committee wants training programmes put in place for teachers on mental health promotion and crisis response, it wants education and training on suicide prevention for GPs and community pharmacists, and awareness training for all hospital staff. It recommends implementation of the report of the national strategic taskforce on alcohol and a study to determine the risk of suicidal behaviour associated with prescription and over-the-counter medication.
It says the annual reports from the inspector of mental health services must be implemented.
Otherwise the inspector should resign on a point of principle or the Minister with responsibility for mental health services should resign for failing to act on the report.