Drop in the rate of self-harm and suicide attempts in city

Date Published: 06-May-2013

By Bernie Ní Fhlatharta

The number of people self-harming in Galway City has come down substantially according to latest figures – which also show that women are most at risk.

Statistics collated from information from Emergency Departments of hospitals all over the country showed over 6,000 presenting with self-harming or suicide attempts in the first half of 2012, one in six of them being repeat incidents.

Galway City has the fifth highest incidence in the country of women self-harming, while it is the sixth worst for men, a little above the national average.

A half yearly report, covering incidents recorded during the first six months of last year, the majority of them deliberate drug overdoses, has just been issued by the National Suicide Research Foundation.

During that period, the incidence rates for deliberate self harming in Galway City was 166 per 100,000 population, down almost 21% on the previous year’s equivalent figure of 210 per 100,000.

In Galway City, women are more likely to engage in self harm – for the first six months of 2012, the incidence rate was 185 (compared to 141 men) per 100,000.

In the HSE West area, self-harm peaks among women in the 15-19 years age group, followed closely by the 20-24 age group, while among men the peak age groups are the 20-24 year olds, followed by the 25-29 year olds.

The National Registry of Deliberate Self-Harm started in 2002 but it is only since 2006 that all Irish hospitals have been taking part.

Dr Eve Griffin, Research Psychologist/Registry Co-ordinator, said that she had seen a 14% increase in the rate of self-harming in all HSE regions between 2007 and 2011, though in one of those years there had been a 4% reduction.

“There’s probably a link to the current recession. Though we are primarily focussed on younger people, we are seeing an increase in the rate of self-harming for women in their forties.

The most common method of self-harming is by overdose (70% of the cases), followed by alcohol and cutting, which was more common in men than in women, according to information gathered from EDs.

Dr Griffin stressed that no personal information was collected, provided or stored and that no information was sought on motive.

Read more in today’s Connacht Sentinel