A report conducted north and south of the border shows that suicide accounts for almost a third of all deaths in the 15- to 24-year-old age group.
The finding is published in a survey compiled by health professionals in Northern Ireland and the Republic discussed at a conference on suicide prevention in Belfast today.
The figures show that in real terms more people in the 15-24 age group are taking their own lives than are killed in road accidents.
While suicide rates are growing on both sides of the border, the situation is worse in the Republic.
In 1991, 12 suicides were recorded in the 15-24 age group per 100,000 of population, rising to 17.5 by 2001. Over the same period in Northern Ireland, the rate rose from 10.5 to 14.2.
