Frightening

[ludermor]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/skynews/20070619/tuk-suicide-pact-feared-as-third-teen-bu-45dbed5.html

This scares the shit out of me. I know it has always happened but is it getting more frequent?

[Norf Tyrone]

Same thing happened in Gortin (Tyrone) last week too. Two fellas drowned in a lake even though they have never met! They had made a suicide pact online!

[ziggysego]

Unfortunately this is becoming an all too familiar sight, up and down the country. The minister at Stormont would need to do something. The introduction of counsellors into all post-primary schools is a welcome first step.

[man in black]

Whats the difference in kids committing suicide alone or as a pact? Its the reasons that they are doing it that need examining not their method.

[Orior]

This is a very delicate subject, but while listening to the radio this morning I felt that shortcomings in government services were an easy target and a "handy" for attributing blame.

But perhaps more could be done at home?

As I said, a delicate subject.

[Hardy]

There appears to be a strong imitation effect in suicides, especially among teenagers. Kids tend to be influenced by trends and tendencies among their peers - even (especially?) the most negative of trends and tendencies.

There have been very interesting results in Austria of the effects of a voluntary media ban (or at least curtailment and change of style – I'm not sure) on suicide reporting, going back to the late 70s, when there was a trend for suicide on the underground railway. The Austrian Association for Suicide Prevention postulated a link between media coverage and suicide rate and got the media to agree to restraints. The result was a drop of over 80% in the suicide rate by this method. The restraint on reporting has remained in place since and the suicide rate has remained low.

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/asur/1998/00000004/00000001/00147508

[Mentalman]

Interesting Hardy, I wonder how that would fit into an Irish context? Is there over focus on it here? This time of year it's always in focus with exam related stress etc.

Anecdotally I think we a lot of us would say we hear of a lot more suicides than are ever reported in the press.

Also there's a fine balance to be struck between not sensationalising the topic, and attaching a shame that means people don't seek help, be it those considering that course of action or their families.

IMHO I think it's fairly obvious there is a total lack of resources provided for the problem, which is after all one of the biggest killers of men under 40 on the island. Not saying throwing money at the issue is the sole solution, but the correct resources would be a start. When you compare the number of people dieing by violent crime with those taking their lives, the priority, resources and attention provided are completely disproportionate.

On another note, trying not to be too un-PC, if the sexual breakdown of those taking their own lives was the other way around, would there be more attention paid to it? Women do seem to be better at clubbing together to get proper attention to their causes, where as it appears in regard to these types of issues every man is an island. Women, as a gross generalisation, seem to have better coping strategies.

Whats the difference in kids committing suicide alone or as a pact? Its the reasons that they are doing it that need examining not their method.

Well firstly they are more likely to follow through on a pact. Again anecdotally, I know of one such "reported" pact amongst 4 guys. Once one of them did it, the others followed suit over a span of years, mostly apparently through guilt at not keeping their part of the pact - i.e. if there was no pact would the first guy of killed himself, had they betrayed him, had they cuased him to kill himself etc. I think one of them is still alive, but definitely 3 linked deaths.

[pintsofguinness]

It's an awful subject.  In my own area, I know of two suicides and two attempted sucides in the last 12 months or so of children! That's the ones I've heard about too.  It's hard to know if it's really on the increase though, years ago it was well covered up in a lot of cases.  That said there has never been as much pressure on young people and it's no mystery why young men are the major victims, men don't talk, men don't seek help.  I think if money is going to used to address the problem it's that attitude we've to change! It would go a long way to cutting deaths.