The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Rise in Kerry’s suicide rate bucks trend
DESPITE LONG TERM DOWNWARD TREND, PROVISIONAL FIGURES REVEAL KERRY’S SUICIDE RATE IS FOURTH HIGHEST IN THE COUNTRY
THERE are solid mental health services and supports available in Kerry but there’s still a need for increased spending to further develop services and create additional posts.
That’s according to the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) Kerry following a HSE report released last week which reveals that Kerry’s suicide rate between 2014 and 2016 was the fourth highest in the country.
In Kerry there were 15.1 suicides per 100,000 people – behind only Cavan, Roscommon, and Limerick city.
Ireland’s overall rate has dropped once again to 9.6 deaths per 100,000 people but Kerry’s figure represents a 14 per cent rise, more than any other region
“Kerry’s figure is not the highest but it’s not far off the highest,” a PNA Kerry spokesperson told The Kerryman.
“To be fair, there has been significant investment in mental health facilities in Kerry, and if you look at the statistics since 2012, the rate has been dropping consistently. You’ll always get ups and downs, stats can be misleading, and maybe it’s hard to read too much into one bad year but we still need investment.
“One of the biggest things we’ve called for at the PNA is a 24/7 crisis service open to everyone. At the moment, we have three crisis nurses in Kerry working nine-to-five from Monday to Friday. The ‘Vision for Change’ document from 2006 suggested that there should be five crisis beds for each Crisis Mental Health Team but 11 years on we don’t have any in Kerry.
“We need investment in taking on staff and creating specialist posts. We have individual crisis nurses but we need crisis teams, managed according to people’s needs.
“I don’t know the breakdown of the days and the times of suicides, but our experience would be that a lot of them are at difficult times such as weekends, evenings and nights, and our services should reflect that. Once you go off the clock in Kerry, you only have access to acute services, but if you live in Waterville, travelling to Tralee is not what you need.”
The PNA spokesperson added that while funding is needed, there are still services available with good people working within them. “We have good GPs, who should be your first port of call if you need help; there is good community staff out there; we have a hospital and there are beds. Please use these services if you need them.”
Kerry had the highest suicide rate in the country between 2009 and 2011 and while figures had subsequently improved, this year’s report unfortunately shows the first increase in Kerry’s rate since 2012.
Kerry Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention Julianne Lane, meanwhile, said it was worth erring on the side of caution in terms of interpreting the statistics as the data for 2015 and 2016 is provisional but she suggested that Kerry’s rural location might contribute to the county having Ireland’s fourth highest suicide rate. “It’s very difficult to pinpoint why the numbers go up and down – looking at Kerry’s statistics, the figures went up during the recession and decreased for a time after that, so economic reasons might be a factor,” she stated.
“In the ‘Connecting for Life’ strategy, we identified matters such as mental health and alcohol as risk factors, but also rural isolation, which is a huge factor in Kerry. It goes without saying that someone in Cahersiveen will have more difficulty in accessing services than someone in Dublin, and you also have to lack of social interaction that comes with isolation.
“Many agencies and communities can work together to look after each other’s mental health and there are services there. We find that many people who take their own lives did not engage with services, so if you need help, please try to access what’s available.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised, Samaritans Kerry is based at 43 and 44, Moyderwell, Tralee, and can be contacted at either (066) 712 2566 or 116 123. Kerry Mental Health Association is based on Upper Lewis Road, Killarney, and can be contacted at 0646631009. Jigsaw Kerry is based at Unit A1 Edward Court (066) 718 6785.There will also be a number of events in Castleisland from October 9 to 14 to coincide with World Mental Health day, the details of which are available from julieann.lane@hse.ie.