Madam, - With reference to the report "Suicide reaching epidemic proportions, says coroner" (The Irish Times, April 26th), I would like to draw attention to the relationship between depression and suicide in the affluent society.
The pressures associated with increased affluence - more perceived needs, longer work hours and commuting time, less free time, impending debts - all contribute to the illness of depression. It is no surprise to me that the rise in the number of deaths has coincided with the growth of the Celtic Tiger.
The US is one of the most heavily medicated countries for depression and it seems that aspiring to the affluence of such a sick country is affecting the mental health of the Irish as well. The association of happiness with material gain is clearly having a bad effect on the psyche of Irish citizens, as the correlation between increased wealth and increased suicides is unmistakeable.
I am not opposed to affluence, but I am saddened by the sacrifices we make in its pursuit, even to the extreme extent of sacrificing one's own existence.
Conversely, I am encouraged by the recent articles and letters regarding increased social responsibility and citizenship, as both contribute to personal happiness and the overall mental health of a society. - Yours, etc,
HEATHER NURSE, New Docks, Galway.
