The Epidemic of Young Male Suicide in Ireland

Cathal Óg Donnelly.
Ógra Shinn Féin
Cumann Colm Dalton NUI Maynooth.

The troubling issue of youth suicide in Ireland is one, which necessitates close attention from not only policymakers but everyone in society. While youth suicide in Ireland is on the rise, the fact that the vast majority of suicide victims are young males between the ages of 15-30 is worrying to say the least. Young males are vastly over represented in national suicide figures.




















The rate of young male suicide has risen dramatically over the last number of decades, in 1977 the suicide rate of men aged 15 or over was 8.9/100,000 population, by 1996 this number had risen to 17.38/100,000 population. Suicide statistics in Ireland are compiled by the CSO (Central Statistics Office), however they rely upon county coroners to provide the details of these deaths therefore many suicides nationally are not recorded. This phenomenon leads to an increasingly skewed reading of the statistics. However, the fact is that even with the loss and confusion of data, young males are bearing the brunt of the rise in Irish suicide rates.


Phil Mac Giolla Bhain, the author of 'Preventable Death: The scandal of male suicide in modern Ireland' argues that Youth suicide shouldn’t be treated as purely a medical issue but a gender issue. Without taking away from the fact that many young women take their own lives each year, he argues that because national suicide figures are overwhelmingly male, young male suicide is almost an issue within the issue of suicide itself. Therefore he proposes that a greater wealth of sociological rather than medical knowledge should be sought surrounding the phenomenon and that conclusions and methods of prevention be formulated from the resulting research.




















At present 8 out of 10 suicide victims in Ireland are young males. What is causing so many young Irish men to choose death over life? Of the many different factors cited by health authorities and independent studies on the issue, some are more prominent than others. Aside from the obvious issues of underlying mental illness, personality disorders or substance abuse there are many sociological factors that are often omitted from reports on the subject leading to greater confusion as to what should be done to prevent this needless loss of life.

The issue of gender socialisation in Irish society is one, which directly affects the willingness of men to access help services and express their emotions in a meaningful manner. Irish society has come a long way in the last few decades however the “masculinity factor” remains as strong as ever. It is simply not acceptable for men to discuss their feelings in Ireland. Men are expected to remain “strong” and maintain a “stiff upper lip” attitude to their emotional well-being. Studies show the main barriers to the use of mental health supports among young men are their fear of embarrassment, anticipated shame and apprehension concerning confidentiality.

Those living in a rural environment are generally more prone to depression and are more likely to be victims of suicide than those living in an urban setting. A report by the Young Men & Positive Mental Health Project points out that the social and geographical position in which these men live leads to feelings of isolation. Poverty and economic hardship coupled with changing farming methods along with a sense of lower status within the urban community were also cited as contributing factors.

There is a worrying lack of knowledge about Mental illness and emotional well-being amongst young men in Ireland. Young men when they feel depressed or isolated do not know who they can to turn to. Mental health promotion is the key to alleviating this dreadful problem. Young men need to know that they can talk to people about their emotions and that there is always someone to which they can turn. Subjects taught at second level such as SPHE and other programmes are not sufficient, the Government are not responding appropriately to the issue, the fact that mental health services only receive 7% of the national health budget at a time when suicide rates are rising is astounding.




All of these social factors come under the same umbrella, which is the stigmatisation of mental health issues in Irish society. Stigma is arguably becoming one of the biggest killers of young people in Ireland and must be addressed as quickly as possible. Health promotion organisations and we as individuals can go a long way to help prevent suicide and the silent suffering of those who feel like they have no hope. If we promote knowledge on the issue it is possible to end the reluctance of young men from seeking help. We need to be advocates for our friends and families and make it known that mental health issues can affect anyone at anytime and they don’t spell the end, they can be beaten. Help eradicate stigma in Irish society. Be that person who lends a helping hand and together we can beat suicide!

Article nominated for an Irish student media award. Journalism of the Year Relating to Suicide