Ep 448 Suicide Cluster: The lives and deaths of 8 young women in Ballyfermot

You might have seen a shocking and disturbing news story in The Irish Times this week by Kitty Holland who wrote about a cluster of suicides among young women in west Dublin last year which was linked to the housing crisis, domestic violence, social media and recreational drug use. Though the area has had a female suicide rate three times the national average since 2015, it was the deaths of eight women in their 20s and early 30s over a 10-week period that prompted a HSE report. Four of the women who died between April and July 2019 were from Ballyfermot and the others were from neighbouring Clondalkin, Tallaght and Palmerstown. Several were young mothers. One of the most striking things from the report into these suicides was fears by some of these young women that their children could be removed by Tusla and that was cited as a reason why some mothers in distress don’t seek help. On the podcast to discuss this were reporter Kitty Holland, People Before Profit Councillor Hazel Norton and S.W.A.A.T. Co-ordinator (Supporting Women to Access Appropriate Treatment) with Ballyfermot Star Denise Joy.

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