“Suicide is not inevitable” – Lasair Dhearg Derry
The most recent figures, published in December of 2020, indicate that for 15-34 year olds the leading cause of death was ‘external’, including accidents and suicides. Of those that died through suicide, a massive 83% were male.
Speaking from Derry, a Lasair Dhearg activist said, “Almost 1 in 5 people suffer from a mental health condition across Ireland, of those that do, 3.5% self-medicate; and whilst that misuse may well increase the risk of suicide, not all suicides are as a result of it. Recent studies have shown that alcohol was present in a minority of cases of suicide, and reflective of alcohol use in general.”
“There is however, a massive correlation of joblessness and suicide, where more than half of those who died were unemployed. Indeed, substance use and suicide are two separate but diverging symptoms of a political, economic and health system that is failing our community. What we do know is that we have a systematic trend of hopelessness and a lack of belonging & purpose; and when those that require help find the courage to voice that need, they are often met with the abject failure of a system that is supposed to catch those who fall.”
“A recent report indicated that more than three quarters of those that sought help felt that they had received minimally adequate treatment.”
“The Six Counties has historically had significantly higher rates of suicide and ill mental health in comparison to similar jurisdictions, and yet, the percentage of public spending for mental health services has consistently been the lowest. When higher levels of deprivation and social need are taken into account, the Six County health and social care system spends up to 16% less than others.”
“Indeed, a 2019 report analysing the economic cost of suicide and self harm estimates an annual figure as high as £478.6m for the Six Counties; contrast this with the total annual investment by the Department of Health to tackle the high rate of suicide and self-harm, of just £6.7 million.”
“Here in Derry, the issue runs much deeper than drugs and alcohol, this is a city of minimal investment and very little opportunity. Whilst a detox centre to help alleviate significant health concerns would be a welcome addition, we cannot expect that this will resolve the core issues at hand. Substance use and suicide are separate symptoms of an economic system that enriches the few, and alienates the rest of us.”
“The continued failure of successive Stormont governments to treat self-harm and suicide like the crisis that it is, will condemn hundreds more each year to their deaths.”
“Suicide is not inevitable.”
ENDS
