More than 800,000 people die by suicide in the world each year, which is roughly one death every 40 seconds. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in the world for those aged 15-24 years.
- Suicide is the result of actions taken to deal with intolerable mental anguish and pain, fear or despair that overwhelms an individual’s value for living and hope in life.
- While there is a well-established link between suicide and depression, each suicide occurs in a unique mix of complex interconnected factors, individual, environmental, biological, psychological, social, cultural, historical, political and spiritual, including psychological trauma.
- Stressful life events (such as the loss of a loved one, legal troubles, or financial difficulties) and interpersonal stressors (such as shame, harassment, bullying, discrimination, or relationship troubles) may contribute to suicide risk, especially when they occur along with suicide risk factors. The question ‘Why did they take their life?’ is complex and may never be fully resolved. The most honest answer is that we don’t fully understand it.
- The factors associated with suicide are varied and complex. Predicting who will take their life is extremely difficult, even for experienced professionals.
- Talking about suicide does not encourage or increase the risk of someone dying by suicide.
- In Ireland, national suicide statistics are provided by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). These annual figures are usually published with a delay of approximately two years or longer. In 2020 there were 504 deaths recorded by the Coroner’s office, although the real figure may be significantly higher.