More than 80 per cent of suicides in Derry study were male

Over 83% of 60 suicides in the Derry area in the five years to the end of 2005 were male, according to a University of Ulster study reported in this story on irishhealth.com.

A peak in the number of suicides was recorded in the month of July.

The authors, Drs Amanda Burns and Tara Moore, said an increased incidence of suicides by young men had alse been recorded in the Republic of Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Greece. They attributed the phenomenon to the changed social role of young men compounded by other stress factors such as broken relationships, increased substance abuse and unemployment.

The Derry research revealed that in almost half the cases reported on, the person who took their own life was unemployed.

In almost 42% of the cases examined, the victim has been previously diagnosed with depression and there was a possible history of mental health problems in 11.7% of cases.