Survey finds more than half of people bereaved by suicide have poor mental health, depression and anxiety
One in five people who have suffered a bereavement or been affected by suicide have themselves expressed recent thoughts of self-harm or suicide, a new survey has found.
In the first-of-its-kind survey on the impact of suicide on people, researchers found that among 2,413 adults affected by suicide, more than half, or 56 per cent, reported poor mental wellbeing and symptoms of depression and anxiety, which was twice the level in the national population.
The survey conducted by the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF), in collaboration with the suicide bereavement charity HUGG (Healing Untold Grief Groups), found that poor mental wellbeing was most pronounced among young adults between the ages of 18 and 24.
The findings of the National Suicide Bereavement Survey, are published today to coincide with World Mental Health Week.
Simon Carswell, The Irish Times