Samaritans welcomes the Parliamentary debate about the unacceptably high levels of male suicide today. It is about time we started having a serious conversation about this issue, at this level.
More people die by suicide than are killed in road accidents and the suicide rate of men is over three times that of women. Men living in the most deprived areas of the UK are up to ten times more likely to die by suicide than those living in the most affluent areas. There needs to be a strengthened approach to tackling this issue to get to the root of the problem earlier, before people get to a crisis point.
Samaritans recommends that the government:
- Ensure every local authority area has a suicide prevention plan in place to take specific actions based on the national suicide prevention strategy
- Provide timely and accurate information and data on suicide to enable agencies to respond better to suicide trends in their area
- Support GPs to recognise signs of distress in men and provide appropriate treatment, not just drugs
- Tackle deprivation which is a major predictor of suicide
- Help men to strengthen their social relationships to reduce loneliness
- Make clear links between alcohol reduction and suicide prevention
-ENDS-
For further information please contact Sue Royal in the Samaritans Press team via [email protected] or on 0208 394 8348
Notes to editors:
- Samaritans is available round the clock, every single day of the year, providing a safe place for anyone who is struggling to cope. Please call free on 116 123, email [email protected], or visit www.samaritans.org to find details of the nearest branch.