Northern Ireland data reveal conflict-related suicide risk
PLOS ONE 19/03/14 -
Victims of trauma in Northern Ireland Troubles are at much higher risk of attempted suicide than people with mental illness, a Northern Ireland study reveals. But the statistics show a lower risk for those with trauma related to the Troubles. Northern Ireland has a rising suicide rate and some of the highest levels of post-traumatic stress disorder world-wide. The study used data from the World Mental Health Survey’s Northern Ireland (NI) Study of Health and Stress (NISHS) to assess the links between conflict-related and non-conflict–related traumatic events and suicidal behaviour, controlling for age and gender and mental illness. People who had experienced trauma, whether conflict-related or not, were most likely to have made a serious plan to take their own life, but the likelihood of suicide attempt was highest for those with non-conflict–related trauma. The researchers say this may reflect a higher rate of fatal suicide attempts among those affected by the Troubles.
Victims of trauma in Northern Ireland Troubles are at much higher risk of attempted suicide than people with mental illness, a Northern Ireland study reveals. But the statistics show a lower risk for those with trauma related to the Troubles. Northern Ireland has a rising suicide rate and some of the highest levels of post-traumatic stress disorder world-wide. The study used data from the World Mental Health Survey’s Northern Ireland (NI) Study of Health and Stress (NISHS) to assess the links between conflict-related and non-conflict–related traumatic events and suicidal behaviour, controlling for age and gender and mental illness. People who had experienced trauma, whether conflict-related or not, were most likely to have made a serious plan to take their own life, but the likelihood of suicide attempt was highest for those with non-conflict–related trauma. The researchers say this may reflect a higher rate of fatal suicide attempts among those affected by the Troubles.