Minister Butler welcomes the publication of the 2022 National Office for Suicide Prevention Annual Report
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler has welcomed the publication today of the Health Service Executive (HSE) National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) Annual Report for 2022.
The report outlines continued progress in relation to the actions in the national suicide and self-harm reduction strategy Connecting for Life.
Minister Butler said:
"The report highlights the continued efforts being undertaken to advance the implementation of Connecting for Life, the national suicide reduction strategy, and achieve an Ireland where fewer lives are lost to suicide. The HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention have very capably driven the implementation of this strategy since its inception.
"Suicide prevention remains a key priority for me and for this government, and I am heartened by the progress evidenced in this annual report. Funding provided to the National Office for Suicide Prevention has increased from €5 million in 2012 to €14 million in 2022, underlining the importance placed on this work.
"The annual report shows continued progress in the area of suicide and self-harm reduction in 2022. It underlines the importance of the cross-sectoral engagement facilitated by the Connecting for Life National Cross-sectoral Steering and Implementation Group, chaired by my department, in addition to local and national partnerships, for the implementation of Connecting for Life."
Key achievements include:
Plans have commenced for an evaluation of the Connecting for Life strategy to be conducted across 2023 and 2024. This will help to inform the development of a national strategic approach to suicide prevention in Ireland post-2024.
The 2022 report reveals that 412 deaths from suicide were registered by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) last year, comprised of 331 male suicides and 81 female suicides. Since 2012, when there were 585 deaths from suicide, there has been a significant reduction in such deaths.
The report also references self-harm data produced by the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF), which highlights that there has been stability in self-harm rates. Between 2010 and 2020 self-harm rates decreased, with self-harm among men decreasing by 17% and self-harm among women decreasing by 5%. Despite this, self-harm remains a significant issue, particularly amongst young women in the 10-19 age group.
Priorities for 2023 include: