Last year saw a 20% drop in suicides across Ireland, according to the latest statistics from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The new figures show that deaths from suicide and self-harm fell from 421 in 2019 to 340 in 2020.
This is despite widespread fears that the pandemic and ensuing restrictions could result in an upsurge in suicides, in keeping with the rise in anxiety and depression.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic about the findings, Professor of Psychiatry Patricia Casey said it wasn’t “surprising” that the deaths have fallen, as that has been the trend in Europe and Ireland over the past years.
However, Prof. Casey said that the lower figure could be due to a sense of community.
“There was a sense of all of us being in it together and a sense of initially, a lot of people were ringing, there was a lot of support being provided, friends were ringing, people you wouldn’t have been in touch with were ringing. There were all of those additional efforts made so as to keep people’s spirits up,” she said.
She said it was possible people “pulled out all the stops” throughout the pandemic in terms of keeping in touch with family and friends.
With regards to the wider downward trend in suicides across Europe and Ireland, Prof. Casey said better treatments, gradual de-stigmatisation and more people coming forward for treatment were potential explanations.
Prof. Patricia Casey is the author of a new book Fears, Phobias and Fantasies: Understanding Mental Health and Mental Illness published by Currach Books (2021).