Madam, – I congratulate The Irish Timeson the powerful series "Stories about Suicide". One sentence in the tragic story of the suicide of John Quinn's 17-year-old son, Seán stood out starkly: "Getting help was not as straightforward as John thought it would be" (Opinion, November 15th). This highlights that there are, effectively, no emergency psychiatric services for 16- and 17-year-olds in large parts of the country at present. This situation is due to the lack of clarity over the respective responsibilities of child and adolescent and adult psychiatry services. The situation has been brought to a head by the recent ruling of the Mental Health Commission that from December 1st 2010 no 16-year-old can be admitted to an adult psychiatry unit. Although a laudable aim, the HSE has not provided workable alternative arrangements for this age group. This is a national crisis.
How many more deaths, like that of Seán Quinn, will occur until a solution is found? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I refer to the many recent excellent articles and letters on the subject of suicide in Ireland.
It is unfortunate that so many writers still use the word “committed” in the context of a suicide so many years after the once crime of suicide has been decriminalised.
It is a regular occurrence that the word “committed” and suicide are placed together liberally by both print and audio-visual media. For the public in general and especially the families of those bereaved by suicide, the more appropriate term to use is that someone “took their own life” or “died by suicide”.
Even after two decades of suicide being decriminalised the word “committed” is still hard to hear for someone who has lost a loved one in this sad manner. – Yours, etc,