Suicides in Northern Ireland Equal to Number Killed in ‘Troubles’

The flames of conflict may be out, but parts of the country continue to glow as a legacy of violence remains with survivors of a sectarian dispute that lasted almost three decades and killed about 3,600 people.

The Irish Times reports:

Northern Ireland Statistic and Research Agency (NISRA) figures show that a total of 3,288 suicides were registered in Northern Ireland from the beginning of 1998 to the end of 2012 – 77% were men. The 2012 figures are provisional.

… The highest suicide rate over the last three years was in the most deprived council area (Belfast) and the lowest was in the least deprived area (Magherafelt).

… New research carried out by a team at the University of Ulster confirms that people in Northern Ireland who experienced a conflict-related traumatic event are even more likely than those who experienced other types of trauma to have suicidal thoughts and plans.

Read more here.

— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.