Traffic deaths versus suicide

I agree with most of the sentiments and especially the root cause one. However, medication is by no means unfashionable - antidepressant medication is one of the greatest money spinners for pharmaceutical companies. Controlled studies established that they are useful to around 40% of sufferers. Medication is usually the first line of treatment and almost never addresses the root cause. ECT is very controversial, especially as there are very few controlled studies and the side effects such as memory loss can be horrendous. Some patients never recover from the effects of ECT. It certain parts of the world it is banned altogether.

Just to clarify; I meant that they are unfashionable in the media.
A lot of ill informed opinion is passed off as fact on these topics.
I agree with you about ECT. It should only be considered in specific cases and only after other options have been tried.
 
However, medication is by no means unfashionable - antidepressant medication is one of the greatest money spinners for pharmaceutical companies. Controlled studies established that they are useful to around 40% of sufferers.

And also that some such medications increase suicidal tendencies in young people.
 
And also that some such medications increase suicidal tendencies in young people.
Most medications have side effects. It's about balancing the possible risks with the possible benefits. Perhaps your statement should read “And also that some such medications may increase suicidal tendencies in young people”? I don’t think this has been shown conclusively. I am not involved in this area and have no first hand experience in this area but I don’t like the sensationalist way in which these topics are covered in the media.
 
“And also that some such medications may increase suicidal tendencies in young people”? I don’t think this has been shown conclusively.

http://www.imb.ie/news.asp?nav=7&action=view&news_item_id=48

see Q3. "This new advice follows the receipt of new data in children under 18 which shows no benefit in the treatment of depressive illness and suggests an increase in the rate of reporting of suicidal thoughts and behaviour in this age group when treated with ....(removed brandname for paroxetine)."
 
The question how many lives would you save by highlighting cases of drunk driving, and asleep at the wheel, and suicide in one vehicle collisions.

I actually don't believe that coverage of drunk driving cases has any effect in reducing the incidence of such cases. Drink-driving, drunk driving and road fatalities in general have been afforded pretty much saturation coverage in the Irish media in recent years, yet fatalities are soaring. I am beginning to suspect that the present publicity overkill is counterproductive, and may actually acting as advertisements for irresponsibility on the roads.
 
Forget about suicide for a minute. The blood alcohol level of any driver involved in a fatal accident should be reported, even if the driver was one of the fatalities. Similarly any other drugs found in their system.
Chances are the reporting of such accidents will precede the carrying out of a post mortem that would establish these details so it may be a moot point.
 
There is strong reason to believe that increased coverage of suicides has prompted more people to take their own lives.

This is apparently very true - Malcolm Gladwell in his book "Tipping Point" mentions this. Even talking about suicides can prompt others to commit suicide as it opens up the possibility of suicide as an option to a given problem.
 
I do not have the figures but I suspect that the HSE spends a lot more on mental health treatment than most people would guess. The issue is how much do they spend on mental health education.

[broken link removed] "At present mental health receives just 7% of the health budget; by comparison, in the UK it stands at 12%, and is considered inadequate."

"the share of the health budget for mental health services declined year on year to about half, in proportionate terms, the level it was in the early 1980s."

[broken link removed] "The Views of Adult Users of the Public Sector Mental Health Services By Dr. Elizabeth A. Dunne, Ph.D, Department of Applied Psychology, University College Cork
The report provides detailed information on how service users experience mental health services within the public sector. One of the key findings of the study is that the current organisation of mental health services is inappropriate and unsuited to the needs of people with a mental illness. "
 
I don't think that there really is any credible statistics in Ireland for suicide, people left behind with the mess tend to be going through a very traumatic time and if any other cause of death can be blamed it generally will.
Rightly or wrongly the inquest will supply the "death by misadventure" verdict ad hoc, so don't know how they end up counting them.
I figure a lot stems from the old catholic beliefs in suicide too, sadly I speak from experience.
 
Dangerous drivers are a hazard to themselves and to others, potential suicides are usually more hazard to themselves alone.
Tell that to the families of thoes who are left at least in a road death the family will know what/why death was caused
 
Tell that to the families of thoes who are left at least in a road death the family will know what/why death was caused
My point was that dangerous drivers are a danger to pedestrians, cyclists, children, passengers and other drivers, and they kill and maim people others than themselves.
In my view, the government has a duty to protect these people more than a duty to protect people who are intent on doing themselves harm.
I agree that it is possible that more should be done for people who present themselves at a doctor's office for depression than prescribing an anti-depressant (some of which are not suitable for young people anyway) and telling them to call back in two weeks.
 
money towards suicide in ireland in 2005 - 1.4 million

money towards road safety in 2005 - 29.6 million

that just shows the gulf in how it is looked at by the powers that be.

if any member here has suffered from depression in any way they would take the issue more seriously.

people how are depressed do more that kill them selves, drink, drugs, violence. all of which effect society.

Think of how much money is spent looking after drunks in hospital and drug addicts, some of these are people who suffer from depression and see drink and drugs as a way out.

I personally have suffered from depression for many years but didn't click with me until i read a book that described the symthoms and it was me......had more info been available i might have found out sooner and some dark years might have been brighter.
 
"money towards suicide in ireland in 2005 - 1.4 million
money towards road safety in 2005 - 29.6 million
that just shows the gulf in how it is looked at by the powers that be"

I agree that resolution of male suicide is an under-resourced area, but I don't think the above statistic (assuming accuracy) shows anything on its own. After all, the road safety spend is not just about road deaths, but about all of the road injuries; A far greater number of people are at risk on the roads than are ever at risk of suicide (though of course the risk for each person is much smaller). Sorry to take the matter on a tangent, but misleading use of statistics is one of my pet peeves. Comparison with the suicide spend in peer countries would IMHO be a far more useful benchmarking exercise.
 
that stat was used in a discussion in newstalk between the head of the suicide prevention body and a road safety rep. It was to show that they are doing all they can but are grossly underfunded.

as i mentioned above, despression leads to other problems which also cost the state millions.
 
After all, the road safety spend is not just about road deaths, but about all of the road injuries; A far greater number of people are at risk on the roads than are ever at risk of suicide (though of course the risk for each person is much smaller).

One particularly sad and tragic consequence of depression is that it profoundly affects the lives of a far greater number of people than those suffering from it. The most obvious category within this group includes friends and families of those suffering from depression. (You could say the same in relation to road accident casualties). Less obvious are victims of, and those affected by, crimes and other anti-social behaviour which arise as a result of depression and/or the misuse of anti-depression medication.
 
For a number of reasons I have to be very careful in choosing my words on this topic. All I will say is that personal experience has led me to conclude that depressio can be a root cause of, or a contributing factor towards, a wide spectrum of destructive and anti-social behaviours. Not being a medic myself, I don't want to delve too deeply into the issue of use or misuse of anti-depressants, except perhaps to say that certain medications may have unanticipated, and (what I would limit myself to describe as) unpleasant, side effects.
 
For a number of reasons I have to be very careful in choosing my words on this topic. All I will say is that personal experience has led me to conclude that depressio can be a root cause of, or a contributing factor towards, a wide spectrum of destructive and anti-social behaviours. Not being a medic myself, I don't want to delve too deeply into the issue of use or misuse of anti-depressants, except perhaps to say that certain medications may have unanticipated, and (what I would limit myself to describe as) unpleasant, side effects.

might i ask have you personly taken anti depressants ???
 
no - btw I'm not sure if this is an appropriate question to ask... Neither, for reasons that will be obvious to some users of these pages, am I inclined to comment further on this topic.
 
it is when you make claims about medication that has helped a lot of people, including me.

I am not a violent criminal or have no intention of becoming one, i am not involved in anti social behaviour either.

Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, its a medical condition just like hayfever, you take medication that makes you better. But some of those steroids have side effects also like all medication.

next time you have a headache read the full instructions before you take a tablet, the list of side effects on those are just as long...............
 
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