In 2011, 525 people died by suicide in Ireland - an increase of 7 percent on the previous year. After these figures were published, the Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly, described suicide as "a tragedy that we are constantly working to prevent". Ireland, like most countries, has a national suicide prevention strategy, but there is scant evidence to support most of the initiatives set out in national suicide prevention strategies.

 

In Suicide: A Modern Obsession, Dr. Pat Devitt and Derek Beattie explore suicide in different cultures and historical periods, survey various public-policy approaches to the subject (looking at what works and what doesn’t), investigate links between economic performance and suicide, and provide an in-depth examination of suicide prevention. They also look at the impact of media portrayals of suicide. Finally, they offer practical advice to those dealing with suicide and its aftermath.