Professor Rory O'Connor on how the Scottish Government's new suicide strategy can address why more people chose to take their own lives in 2016
For the first time in six years, the number of suicides in Scotland has risen. 728 people died by suicide in 2016 – that’s 56 more deaths compared to 2015. Although it isn’t clear whether this increase is a trend, we cannot be complacent and we need to ensure that suicide prevention remains a national priority.
The tragedy of suicide is it's preventable. Early identification and effective action can get people the care they need. We know that men aged 20 to 29 and 40 to 49 are most at risk, and suicide is the leading cause of death among men under 50. The figures above don’t capture the numbers of people attempting or considering suicide but they highlight that scale of the challenge we face. The stark reality is that suicide prevention does not receive anything like the level of financial investment it needs.
We need greater understanding about the thoughts behind suicidal thinking and awareness about suicide, its devastating impact on families, friends and communities and the steps we can take collectively to prevent more deaths. Psychologists, for example, must be utilised to play a bigger role in making sense of complicated and connected causes of suicidal behaviour.
But we must remember that the many people who live with mental health problems never seek professional help and that no single policy in isolation will tackle suicide. This means that there is a role for all of us to identify and support those experiencing distress.
We need a society-wide approach to develop and implement best practice interventions. It is in this spirit that we have set out our calls to action in a new position statement – to help policy and decision-makers develop the next suicide prevention framework. We want to see a roll out of suicide prevention training for all NHS staff, pharmacists and GPs to ensure early identification; greater co-ordinated action on re-integrating prisoners to their communities and providing direct and immediate support for first responders, families and friends in the aftermath of a suicide could all help avoid the unnecessary waste of life.
Scotland has made progress in tackling stigma, discrimination and increasing awareness of suicide but the responsibility cannot sit with health professionals alone. International evidence shows that restricting access to means of suicide will lead to fewer instance of suicide.
Public awareness campaigns to support more effective intervention and the responsible reporting of suicide in print, broadcast, internet and on social media can reduce stigma about mental health problems and encourage people to seek help. Improved mental health training and education in schools is vital so that young people are better equipped to ask for help.
The Scottish Government is reviewing and updating its suicide prevention strategy and action plan. The previous strategy had a welcome focus on responding to people in distress, talking about suicide and improving the NHS response. And until 2016 we were making good progress in reducing instances of suicide. To ensure 2016 figures do not represent a new trend, the new approach must cut across all areas of government and beyond, be informed by evidence and prioritise the early identification of suicidal thoughts and behaviour.
But this must be matched with more investment into public mental health interventions and research into psychosocial solutions. Without adequate funding we cannot ensure that those discharged from hospital, following self-harm or a suicide attempt, receive a follow-up appointment within three days or that GPs are trained to identifying signs and symptoms of suicidal behaviour or that our approach is informed by the most accurate research.
A commitment to suicide prevention means those at risk (as well as their families and carers) and those directly affected by suicide receive the care they need and deserve at the right time. Understanding the psychological and social issues informing suicidal behaviour is vital to enabling effective prevention and intervention. To ensure the next strategy builds on the progress made, prevention, early intervention and research into innovative psychosocial interventions must be at its core.
Professor Rory O'Connor leads the Suicide Research Lab at the University of Glasgow and is a member of the British Psychological Society.
