NEW figures showing suicides at their highest level since 2015 should be a cause of enormous concern across government and wider society.
There were 237 deaths by suicide registered in Northern Ireland during 2021, up from 219 the previous year.
To put this in some context, there were 50 road deaths in the same calendar year.
As with lives lost on the roads, men are much more likely to be victims of suicide – almost three-quarters of deaths in 2021 were males. A third of all deaths were people under the age of 30.
Every death by suicide is a tragedy and each of those statistics represents a real person, someone who leaves behind a devastated circle of family and friends.
The reasons why someone takes their own life are often complicated and the job of tackling the problem is multi-layered.
However, the question must be asked why suicide rates are so high.
The Covid pandemic is thought to have had a severe toll on mental health and it is feared this will be reflected in suicide figures.
However, experts say it is too soon to make a definite link because recent figures relate to when deaths were registered rather than when people died, which can be a year or more earlier.
A clue may be in the correlation with deprivation – Northern Ireland’s most deprived areas have a suicide rate almost twice that of the least deprived areas.
The region also has some of the most deprived areas of the UK and suicide rates in the north are markedly higher than in Britain or the Republic.
Research suggests many cases of mental ill-health can be linked to the impact of the Troubles.
A new 10-year mental health strategy was published last year. However, as with many other initiatives, it is unclear if the required funding will be available in the absence of an executive.
If rising suicide rates are to be arrested is vital that everyone works together to highlight the importance of good mental health and ensure appropriate help is available when and where people need it.
It is the least we owe to all those touched by the scourge of suicide in our society.
:: If you or someone you know is in distress or despair you can contact Lifeline on 0808 808 8000 or Samaritans on 116 123.
