TODAY IS WORLD Suicide Prevention Day. What does that actually mean? Well, it was established in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), and it is a day to raise awareness about warning signs and risk factors, to promote healthy and compassionate discussion that reduces stigma, and to promote mental health generally, which helps to prevent suicide.

This year’s theme is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”, focusing on replacing silence and misunderstanding with empathy, support and hope. That said, some people may find aspects of this article difficult to read, and I would encourage you to be mindful of your own experiences and needs before reading any further. Take a break if necessary. There are helpful resources at the end.

In May 2026, the Department of Health published Ireland’s Strategy to Reduce Suicide and Self-harm, Connecting for Life 2026-2035. A long-awaited update of previous strategies, it cites a declining rate of suicide in Ireland in recent years according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), reducing by 33.3% between 2000 and 2022 (from 12.9 to 8.6 per 100,000 people, respectively).

However, because our population rose from 3.9 million to 5.1 million during roughly that time period, the number of people in Ireland who actually die each year by suicide has remained at around 500.

Suicide rates in Ireland up to 2022. 500 people died by suicide in 2022. CSO.ie CSO.ie

Men are much more likely to die by suicide, but women have consistently higher rates of self-harm and non-fatal suicide attempts. The new Strategy has set a national target of reducing the suicide rate to seven per 100,000 or lower by 2035 with the adoption of a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.

Working at the coalface

I work as a psychiatrist. That is to say, I spend a considerable amount of my time helping people to recover from severe mental illness. Like all frontline healthcare workers, I encounter occasional suicides, and the fallout for family and friends is never less than heartbreaking.

Naturally, my colleagues and I put considerable time and effort into trying to prevent suicides. In my experience, almost everyone does not want to die almost all of the time. But suicidal thoughts can occur with mental illness or in the context of an overwhelming event in life.

A problem........

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