The Irish Times is reporting that the treatment of some Gardaí towards drug users could be affecting their mental health problems even more.
A study published on Tuesday titled: ‘
The Impact of Drug and Alcohol Related Deaths on Families’, found that there is a stigma and shame of drug use was a major factor in death by suicide.
The study which was written by Dr Sharon Lambert of the School of Applied Psychology at University College Cork is the first in Ireland which examines bereavement following drug-related deaths.
Just under 20 family members, of eight people who died as a result from drug abuse, were interviewed.
Of the eight people interviewed, four died by overdose, three by suicide and one from liver disease.
One of those people interviewed said their brother, who was a user, was trying to get his life back together but "gardaí wouldn't leave him alone".
Another family member said that:
“It’s not acceptable to me...they [gardaí] drive down the street and they are on the speaker: ‘Good evening scumbags’... Do you think if this was Blackrock or Foxrock they would carry on like that?”
The report is not available online yet.
