Ireland should follow Scotland's example if it wants to reduce the number of people who die by suicide here, the suicide and bereavement charity, Console, has said.

According to the charity's CEO, Paul Kelly, Scotland has reduced its suicide rate by 18% in the last 10 years and this is down to the implementation of ‘a cohesive strategy and awareness in both the health and wider communities'.

"There is no doubt that the Scottish model would be applicable to Ireland, but what is needed here is training, targets and commitment. We need to give more support to enable the National Office For Suicide Prevention to carry out their similar strategies. Ireland also needs to establish a true database of all probable suicides," he explained.

He noted that currently, there are inconsistencies in relation to deaths being correctly attributed to suicide. As a result, ‘we do not have an accurate picture of what is happening in Ireland'.

"We feel that the real suicide rate is significantly higher than that published," he insisted.

Mr Kelly made his comments at the Console World Suicide Prevention Day Conference in Croke Park today (September 9). Also speaking at the conference, the Scottish government's head of mental health, Niall Kearney, said that there were a number of key steps in achieving that country's reduction in its suicide rate.

These included mental health campaigns, the correct prescribing of antidepressants and ‘alcohol brief interventions'.

"Brief interventions from GPs and frontline health workers have been proven to be highly effective for those individuals who are drinking at hazardous and harmful levels. Training frontline staff to recognise these signs and intervene has been a significant factor in tackling mental health issues in Scotland, as there are clear links between alcohol, depression and suicide," Mr Kearney said.

He also noted the importance of Scotland's confidential and secure suicide information database - SCOTSID.

"This central repository for information on all probable suicide deaths aims at prevention by using the information to support policy making."

Mr Kearney said that the Scottish government would be publishing a new strategy on suicide prevention next month, following collaboration with the public, health services and the police.

"One area that it has identified is the need to review people's contact with the frontline health services. Research has found that people who completed suicide had generally been in contact with the health services in the previous year.

"Some 56% of people who took their own life in Scotland in 2010 had mental health prescriptions dispensed within 12 months prior to death and one in five attended A&E within three months prior to death," he told the conference.

Console is a nationwide suicide prevention and bereavement charity, offering counselling services and a 24-hour helpline to people in crisis and those bereaved by suicide.

The helpline Is free of charge - 1800 201 890 - or more information can be found at www.console.ie