Travellers over 50 have highest risk of self-harm
Co A Happened Martin ” To Was Pledge “not Programme Collins, Strategy Mental Point, So Implement Has Traveller Says But Of In Far There A Government Health Pavee Stitch The National A For Director
Travellers over the age of 50 have the highest risk of presenting with self-harm in Irish Emergency Departments, with new research also showing this may be associated with "the mental distress experienced by the eldest Travellers, due to discrimination or poor physical health”.
The findings are published by members of the National Suicide Research Foundation, who analysed 24,473 self-harm and suicide-related ideation presentations over a two year period at different EDs. It found that in that period, covering 2018 and 2019, 744 presentations were made by Irish Traveller patients - 3% of the total.
The EDs providing the data are linked to the National Clinical Programme for Self-Harm and Suicide-related Ideation and found that a higher rate of Travellers were in contact with mental health services at the time of their presentation, compared to white Irish people who presented.
However, one of the authors of the research, Dr Katerina Kavalidou, said: "It is a positive thing when they have contact with mental health services but we do not know the quality of this. We know when they were attending in the health services, but we do not know the details or the context."
To the researchers' knowledge, this is the first study exploring emergency department presentations due to suicide-related outcomes for Irish Travellers at a national level.
According to the study: "The risk of both ideation and acts seemed to be increasing with age for Traveller females and the highest risk was seen in those 50 years and older.
"Although the highest risk of self-harm was observed for the oldest age group of Traveller males, those between 30 and 39 years of age had the highest risk of suicide-related ideation when compared to white Irish males.
"The suicide-related ideation age specific presentation rates were highest in the 40–49 age group of Traveller females and in the 20–29 age band of male Travellers. The latter age-group seem to have the highest ideation presentation rates across all male ethnic patient groups. The peak self-harm age specific presentation rates for both female and male Travellers were for those between 20 and 29 years. Following a similar pattern with the suicide-related ideation presentation for males, the highest rate for self-harm was among those 20–29 years across all male ethnic groups.”
According to the study, Traveller people seemed to be more in contact with mental health care services at the time of their ED presentation.
“While the ED referral pattern was similar across ethnicities, a higher proportion of Traveller patients had self/supportive other referrals (76%).” As for considering substances recorded as a contributory factor to the ED presentation, 59% of Traveller patients used alcohol or/and drugs, which was "significantly different" to other ethnic groups.
It also said a higher proportion of Traveller patients requested no next of kin involvement, compared to other ethnicities.
"Our research supports existing evidence which suggests that there is a high prevalence of alcohol and drug misuse in the Traveller community, while the request of Traveller patients not to involve any significant other in suicide prevention interventions, may reflect cultural stigma when experiencing emotional pain.
According to Martin Collins, Co-director of Pavee Point: “In some respects this seems to validate and confirms with Traveller organisations knew all along.
"What is new about this and is quite interesting is it does not seem to reduce or diminish as Travellers get older. That is new information.”
He said there was a pledge to implement a National Traveller Mental Health Strategy in the programme for Government but so far “not a stitch has happened.”