Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
  • Publication
    Suicide in Ireland : the influence of alcohol and unemployment
    (University College Dublin. School of Economics, 2010-10) ;
    In this paper we model the behaviour of the Irish suicide rate over the period 1968‐2009 using the unemployment rate and the level of alcohol consumption as explanatory variables. It is found that these variables have significant positive effects on suicide mortality in several demographic groups. Alcohol consumption is a significant influence on the male suicide rate up to age 64. Its influence on the female suicide rate is not as well‐established, although there is evidence that it is important in the 15‐24 and 25‐34 age groups. The unemployment rate is also a significant influence on the male suicide rate in the younger age groups. The behaviour of suicide rates among males aged 55 and over and females aged 25 and over is largely unaccounted for by our model. These broad conclusions hold when account is taken of a structural break in the 1980s, with the response to unemployment being greater in the earlier period and that to alcohol greater in the later period. The findings suggest that higher alcohol consumption played a major role in the increase in suicide mortality among young Irish males between the late 1960s and the end of the century. In the early twenty first century a combination of falling alcohol consumption and low unemployment led to a marked reduction in suicide rates, although there is some evidence that the suicide rate is being increasingly under‐reported in recent years. The recent rise in the suicide rate may be attributed to the sharp increase in unemployment, especially among males, but it has been moderated by the continuing fall in alcohol consumption. Some policy implications of the findings are discussed.
      801
  • Publication
    Suicide in Dublin : II. the influence of some social and medical factors on coroners' verdicts
    (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1975) ; ;
    This paper presents an analysis of the factors which influence coroners in their decision to classify some deaths as suicides and others as accidental or 'open'. The most important influence on coroners' behaviour was seen to be the manner by which the person died. Those who died by cutting, hanging, drugs or gas were significantly more likely to receive a suicide verdict than those whose deaths were due to drowning, jumping, shooting or poisoning. If the deceased left any intimation of a suicidal intent, this increased the likelihood that a suicide verdict would be returned. Finally, persons aged under 40 were significantly more likely to be returned as suicides than older victims, especially those aged over 70. All of these results show that coroners operate by observing the law as it defines suicide, that is, by looking for evidence of intent of self-inflicted death. Our findings concerning the factors associated with the suicide verdict help to clarify the meaning of the official data on suicides in Ireland, and illuminate the reasons why, using clinical rather than legal criteria, a much higher rate is obtained.
      736Scopus© Citations 20
  • Publication
    Some influences on the intercounty variation in Irish psychiatric hospitalization rates
    (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1968) ;
    An examination of the effect of sex and age structure on psychiatric hospitalization rate and its regional variations in Ireland has been carried out. Statistical testing, by regression, of the influence of selected socioeconomic variables on hospitalization rate produced some interesting results. Of most interest was the finding that elderly populations tended to increase hospitalization rate at all age groups. It is hoped to carry this work further using more refined data.
    Scopus© Citations 11  576