In linking pronounced suicide levels in Northern Ireland to the Troubles, another front has opened up demanding a solution.
Professor Mike Tomlinson‘s confirmation of the direct link between suicide and the Troubles or the ‘past ‘ in Northern Ireland is a challenge to the theorists who argue for ‘drawing a line’ over the past.
The Queen’s University academic established that many of those who killed themselves, predominantly male, had been at the ‘coal face’ of the Troubles.
Suicide did not respect class or creed. Mr Tomlinson points out that many of those who died as a result of ‘self inflicted death’ came from the security services, the paramilitaries and the ranks of people grieving etc.
This research also shows that the majority of those who committed suicide had not been receiving medical attention. This is evidently a gaping hole in how the authorities address the past.
While one is entering the realms of medicine and mental care at this point the question of ‘prevention’ of self inflicted death is a huge challenge for us all if we seriously cherish our fellow human beings.
At this stage of the debate on the ‘past/Troubles’ the scales are tipped, from informed opinion, in favour of dealing with the past. We must guard against this critical discussion however, degenerating into a narrow self serving debate.
Big thinking and the widest spectrum of opinion should see us through this fog of confusion.
