Half a million euros is to be allocated immediately to a new suicide prevention programme which was launched today.
The Tanaiste and Minister for Health, Mary Harney
The Tanaiste and Minster for Health Mary Harney, made the first tranche of funding available when detailing 'Reach Out', a new national strategy on suicide prevention.
The 26-point plan to be implemented over the next ten years, will be "action-focused", Ms Harney promised.
Ireland's rate of suicide has doubled since the 1980s. There was an average 494 deaths between 2000 and 2002, which is around the EU average.
But the rate among young people is the fifth highest in the union with young men under the age of 35 the most at-risk group, representing 40 per cent of all deaths and the rate is rising.
A suicide prevention office within the Health Services Executive has been created to help co-ordinate the strategy which will be implemented in conjunction with other Government departments.
Among its responsibilities will be to develop a fast-track referral system for those most at-risk and a strategy for increasing public awareness about suicide and mental health generally.
"The fact is, suicide happens too often because people don't reach out for help and don't seek help or maybe don't know where to find that help," Ms Harney said.
A new publicity campaign to promote mental well-being will be launched, as part of the strategy to address this issue. It will attempt to target those most at risk such as young men, prisoners and those on low incomes. Special measures for A & E departments, where around 11,000 people present with cases of self-harm, will also form part of the strategy.
"Suicide touches more and more families in our society," Ms Harney said citing a survey of young people in the State showing 78 per cent of them knew a suicide victim.
A bereavement counselling and support programme specifically for relatives of suicide victims will also be created.
"One of the hardest things to deal with is to explain to a mother or a father or a brother or a sister, why it may have been the case that one of their members committed suicide. It's virtually inexplicable," Ms Harney said.
The strategy does not contain targets for reduction because the data is inaccurate or insufficient in relation to many undetermined deaths. Compiling better information will form part of the of the strategy and targets will be set in the future.