Twenty-year low in suicide among young men
The suicide rate among young men in England has fallen to its lowest level for almost twenty years.
A report published today shows that it is almost 30 per cent below its peak level in 1998, making it the first sustained downward trend since the problem of suicides among young men first emerged 25 years ago.
The report is the second to measure the progress of England’s national suicide prevention strategy since it was conceived two years ago.
In the period 2001 – 03 the death rate from suicide fell to 8.6 deaths per 100,000 population, which is down six per cent on the baseline rate in 1995-97 of 9.2 deaths per 100,000
Professor Louis Appleby, the National Director of Mental Health, welcomed the progress highlighted in the report, but said there was still work to be done.
He said: “Whilst these figures are positive, there were still nearly 4,500 registered suicides in 2003. There are many different reasons why people decide to take their own life, and each suicide represents both an individual tragedy and a loss to society. We must continue to work hard to ensure this downward trend continues.”
Health Minister Rosie Winterton added: “The sustained downward trend shows that our national suicide prevention strategy is having an effect.”
Initiatives identified by the report as having a positive effect include suicide prevention training pilots for staff in mental health units and prisons; a five year-programme to tackle discrimination on mental health grounds; and new guidance on prevention of self-harm in primary and secondary care.
In a separate development, a Swedish-UK research team has found that intelligent young me were less likely to take their own lives.
Research published in the British Medical Journal found that young me who scored low on intelligence tests were three times more likely to commit suicide.
