Alcohol blamed for high suicide rates in Northern Ireland

Alcohol and drugs are fuelling homicide and suicide rates in Northern Ireland, a new independent report by University of Manchester researchers has found, with alcohol appearing to be a key factor for the country's higher suicide rates, including among mental health patients, compared to England and Wales. The 'Suicide and Homicide in Northern Ireland' report by the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness (NCI), which is based in the University's Centre for Suicide Prevention, also shows that the higher Northern Ireland suicide rate is greatest among young people; 332 suicides occurred in people under 25 during the study period (2000 to 2008), with mental illness, drugs and alcohol, previous self-harm and deprivation being contributing factors in the majority of cases. The NCI report - commissioned by the Health and Social Care Division of the Public Health Agency (PHA) on behalf of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) in Northern Ireland - also reports: A total of 1,865 suicides occurred in the general population in Northern Ireland between 2000 and 2008, equivalent to 207 per year, or 13.9 per 100,000 people per annum. This rate is higher than the UK average but lower than the rate in Scotland. During the same period, there were 533 suicides in current mental health patients - defined as individuals who had had contact with mental health services in the previous 12 months. This amounted to 29% of all suicides and corresponds to 59 patient deaths per year.