Differing views have emerged between the Royal College of Psychiatrists and two leading psychiatrists on the abortion issue.
On Thursday, Prof Anthony Clare and Prof Patricia Casey called for a "yes" vote in the referendum, which would have the result of banning abortion on the grounds of suicide.
However, the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Irish division repeated its statement that patients' cases should be judged on an individual basis.
A spokesman for the group said the RCP had never said that there was no psychiatric justification for abortion.
"What was said was that there were no absolute psychiatric indications for the termination of pregnancy," he said.
"And it was further clarified that the indications for the termination of pregnancy should be made on an individual patient's basis".
The RCP had earlier written to the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin and other Ministers, expressing concern that its views were being misrepresented in the Government's Green Paper on Abortion.
"Psychiatrists working in the different divisions of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, including the Irish division, should be aware of the Royal College's position," the spokesman said.
Prof Casey and Prof Clare had argued that justifications for abortion did not come from psychiatric necessity. What was being presented as psychiatric necessities was actually a social or economic justification, they said.
Yesterday, Dr John Connolly of the Irish Association of Suicidology echoed the RCP's view that cases should be viewed on an individual basis.
He said he was speaking on his own behalf but it was a view shared by many psychiatrists.
Dr Connolly said there were no absolutes when it came to psychiatric illness. "One has to take the view that each situation has to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis," he said.
It may well be the case that suicide may be rare in pregnant women, he said, "but it still does occur".
Dr Connolly said there was a lot of misinformation about suicidal risk in pregnant women and very few studies had been carried out in the area.
There was a belief that pregnancy protected against suicide, Dr Connolly said, but this could be a dangerous belief.
"By accepting the belief that pregnancy protects from suicide, the suicidal state of a pregnant woman could be overlooked."
