News Release, 23 November 2000
The number of suicides by young people has risen to the extent that it is now one of the main causes of death for this age group, with young men particularly at risk, according to the Mental Health Foundation's new report, Suicide and self harm. The Mental Health Foundation also believes that the actual rate of suicide in young people could be as much as three times higher than official statistics suggest as many deaths are registered as "undetermined", possibly due to an unwillingness to use the label "suicide" for the sake of the family.
The report distinguishes between suicide and self-harm – the latter often being a means of survival rather than an attempt at suicide. It also highlights the punitive and inappropriate care provided to people who self-harm, including silence and stitching without anaesthetic, at the very time when people are experiencing extreme distress and vulnerability. It questions the labelling of people who self-harm as "borderline personality disorder" which suggests that somebody is untreatable and recommends that there should be better training available to healthcare staff to enable a more constructive approach to self-harm.
The facts are revealed in a new report from the Mental Health Foundation, Suicide and self-harm, which examines the trends and prevalence of suicide and self-harm across all age groups, and looks in particular at the impact of sexuality, employment, abuse and poverty.
Particular population groups with a higher prevalence of suicide include people with existing mental health problems who account for around a quarter of all suicides - most commonly depression, schizophrenia, personality disorder and alcohol or drug dependence. In addition, prisoners are seven times more likely to kill themselves than somebody living within the community, and men in unskilled employment are more than twice as likely to kill themselves compared with other men in the population. American studies suggest that as many as 40-50% of young lesbians and gay men have attempted suicide, and recent work suggests that the same is true in the UK.
The report also challenges a number of false assumptions often made about self harm and suicide including
- People who self-harm are simply attention seeking and at little or no risk of committing suicide. In fact nearly 63% of people who killed themselves had a history of self-harm (most commonly by cutting, burning, scratching or bruising) according to a National Confidential Inquiry in 1999. 1.
- Older people do not commit suicide. In fact, in 1998, 16% of all suicides were people aged 65 or over. The large number may be due to the increased prevalence of depression (frequently undiagnosed by GPs) in older people, particularly those living alone, and to the increased likelihood of having prescribed medication available. Older people are also more likely to complete suicide, so suicide attempts or self-harm should result in referral to mental health services or specialist care as soon as possible.
The report, based on analysis of statistics from sources ranging from Government departments to independent research, also reveals that more than three times as many men as women kill themselves, and while the numbers of male and female suicides are falling in England and Wales, in Scotland the number of male suicides continues to rise. Over the UK as a whole there are also high rates of self-harm and suicide among Asian women, particularly young Indian married women, although this varies between different ethnic groups. Suicide and self-harm also indicates that the highest levels of suicides are in the four months from March to June, and that the occupations with highest risk of suicide (possibly because of greater access to the means of suicide as well as increased isolation) are farmers and vets.
With one death from suicide every 90 minutes, and more than 100,000 people referred to hospitals every year as a result of self-harm, the Mental Health Foundation is calling for:
- Increased access to effective crisis services, including community services as well as in-patient wards
- Better targeting of high risk groups e.g. young people, older people, people with mental health problems and prisoners
- School programmes to equip young people with effective problem-solving skills
- The practice of withholding treatment or care for people who self-harm to end. Services to work with the person and listen to them instead.
Reference
Office, London.
Scotland
The Mental Health Foundation, one of the organisations due to attend a Seminar in Edinburgh on Suicide prevention on the 27th November 2000, has just launched a report entitled Suicide & Self-Harm. In Scotland, there were 649 deaths from suicide in 1998, 50 more than the previous year, and the numbers for young people aged 15 –24 have risen to the extent that it is now one of the main causes of death for this age group, with young men particularly at risk. The Mental Health Foundation also believes that the actual rate of suicide in young people could be as much as three times higher than official statistics suggest as many deaths are registered as "undetermined", possibly due to an unwillingness to use the label "suicide" for the sake of the family.
The report distinguishes between suicide and self-harm – the latter often being a means of survival rather than an attempt at suicide. It also highlights the punitive and inappropriate care provided to people who self-harm, including silence and stitching without anaesthetic, at the very time when people are experiencing extreme distress and vulnerability. It questions the labelling of people who self-harm as "borderline personality disorder" which suggests that somebody is untreatable and recommends that there should be better training available to healthcare staff to enable a more constructive approach to self-harm.
The facts are revealed in a new report from the Mental Health Foundation, Suicide and self-harm, which examines the trends and prevalence of suicide and self-harm across all age groups, and looks in particular at the impact of sexuality, employment, abuse and poverty.
Particular population groups with a higher prevalence of suicide include people with existing mental health problems who account for around a quarter of all suicides - most commonly depression, schizophrenia, personality disorder and alcohol or drug dependence. In addition, prisoners are seven times more likely to kill themselves than somebody living within the community, and men in unskilled employment are more than twice as likely to kill themselves compared with other men in the population. American studies suggest that as many as 40-50% of young lesbians and gay men have attempted suicide, and recent work suggests that the same is true in the UK.
The report also challenges a number of false assumptions often made about self harm and suicide including
- People who self-harm are simply attention seeking and at little or no risk of committing suicide. In fact nearly 63% of people who killed themselves had a history of self-harm (most commonly by cutting, burning, scratching or bruising) according to a National Confidential Inquiry in 1999.
- Older people do not commit suicide. In fact, in 1998, 16% of all suicides were people aged 65 or over. The large number may be due to the increased prevalence of depression (frequently undiagnosed by GPs) in older people, particularly those living alone, and to the increased likelihood of having prescribed medication available. Older people are also more likely to complete suicide, so suicide attempts or self-harm should result in referral to mental health services or specialist care as soon as possible.
The report, based on analysis of statistics from sources ranging from Government departments to independent research, also reveals that more than three times as many men as women kill themselves, and while the numbers of male and female suicides are falling in England and Wales, in Scotland the number of male suicides continues to rise. Over the UK as a whole there are also high rates of self-harm and suicide among Asian women, particularly young Indian married women, although this varies between different ethnic groups. Suicide and self-harm also indicates that the highest levels of suicides are in the four months from March to June, and that the occupations with highest risk of suicide (possibly because of greater access to the means of suicide as well as increased isolation) are farmers and vets.
With one death from suicide every 90 minutes, and more than 100,000 people referred to hospitals every year as a result of self-harm, the Mental Health Foundation is calling for:
- Increased access to effective crisis services, including community services as well as in-patient wards
- Better targeting of high risk groups e.g. young people, older people, people with mental health problems and prisoners
- School programmes to equip young people with effective problem-solving skills
- The practice of withholding treatment or care for people who self-harm to end. Services to work with the person and listen to them instead.
Return to news releases 2000
For further information and interview requests contact please contact the press office on 020 7803 1105 / 1128 or email the press office
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