WEST Belfast MLA Órlaithí Flynn has called on the Department of Health to treat suicide as a priority public health crisis and to move immediately to unlock funding and expand support especially to the community and voluntary sector.
The chair of the all-party group on suicide prevention was speaking after the latest NISRA Suicide Statistics showed 290 deaths were registered in 2024, an increase on previous years.
The figures also revealed, as with previous years, suicide remains the leading cause of death in males under 50 in the North. Of all male deaths registered in 2024 where the deceased was under 50 years of age (690),151 were to suicide (21.9 per cent).
230 (79.3 per cent) of the 290 suicide deaths in 2024 were males and 60 (20.7 per cent) were females. The age-standardised mortality rate for males was 28.0 per 100,000 in 2024, while for females, the equivalent rate was 7.1 per 100,000.
In 2024, when considering marital status, the suicide rate (crude rate) per 100,000 population (aged 16+) was higher among those who were single (30.9), divorced (27.4) or widowed (18.7), compared to those recorded as married (9.2).
In every year of the revised series (2015), more than 50 per cent of suicide deaths had a marital status of single.
The suicide rate (age-standardised) in the North has fluctuated since the start of the revised series (2015), ranging from 11.9 per 100,000 in 2016 to 14.3 per 100,000 in both 2018 and 2021, to 17.4 per 100,000 in 2024.
The North's 2024 age-standardised mortality rate of 17.4 suicides per 100,000 population was higher than the rate for Scotland (12.7 per 100,000 population) and England and Wales (11.4 per 100,000).
Órlaithí Flynn, who is chair of the All Party Group on Suicide Prevention, said: “Too many people in the North are dying by suicide. Every single death is one too many. Behind every number is a loved one, a family and a community left grieving.
“We cannot continue to speak about strategies while funding is paused and services struggle. Protect Life 2 and the Mental Health Strategy must be fully implemented."
The Sinn Féin woman also pointed to the pausing of suicide awareness-raising campaigns, stating that reduced public messaging has coincided with a drop in calls to the Lifeline crisis service.
“When awareness is paused, people fall silent. We know that when campaigns stop, calls to Lifeline fall. That should alarm us all. Silence costs lives.”
The West Belfast MLA said she remains committed to driving practical change, including through her Private Member’s Bill on suicide prevention training, which would place a duty on public-facing public sector workers to receive training to recognise and respond to suicidal distress.
“Suicide prevention is not just the responsibility of health services, it is everyone’s business. People in trusted, everyday roles must be equipped with the skills and confidence to spot the signs and to act early.
“If we are serious about reducing deaths by suicide in the North, we must match words with resources.
“We owe it to those we have lost, and to those who are struggling right now, to act with urgency, compassion and resolve. This cannot wait.”
If you are feeling distressed or struggling to cope, support is available. You can call Samaritans free on 116 123 or can also contact Lifeline on 0808 808 8000 (available 24/7).
