Information on suicide and the support available for people experiencing suicidal thoughts can be found on the NHS Inform website.
The Equalities Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee is currently running an inquiry looking at the Scottish Government and COSLA’s Suicide Prevention Strategy 2022-2032. The Committee’s Call for Views is open until 29 March 2024. This blog provides some background information on suicide rates and sociodemographic inequalities.
Suicide is often defined as death resulting from an intentional, self-inflicted act.
Number of Suicide Deaths in Scotland
National Record of Scotland (NRS) reports on deaths which were known to be, or are thought likely to be, the result of intentional self-harm. In 2022 (latest information available) the number of probable suicides in Scotland had risen slightly to 762 deaths, up by 9 deaths from 2021.
Number of suicide deaths by year, 2012 – 2022, Scotland
Source: NRS (2023)
Suicide risk
The risk of suicide is not the same for all groups. In November 2023, the Equality and Human Rights Monitor 2023: Is Scotland Fairer identified a number of factors that were related to suicide risk. A higher suicide rate/ or reported suicide risk was identified among:
- People living in areas of socio-economic deprivation
- People in prison
- Men
- People aged between 45 and 54 years (NRS figures use the 45 to 64 age range)
- Trans and non-binary people
- Lesbian, gay and bisexual groups
It also referred to Scottish Government research in which participants reported the effect of racism on exacerbating mental health illnesses and increasing their propensity towards suicide.
The report recommended that the Scottish Government should:
“Set a NEO [National Equality Outcome] to reduce the rate of suicide and other ‘deaths of despair’ (due to suicide, drugs or alcohol) among men.”
Suicide by Sociodemographic Inequalities
The Office of National Statistics has published a study of sociodemographic inequalities in suicides in England and Wales: 2011 to 2021. This provides a population level analysis comparing the risk of dying by suicide across sociodemographic groups in adults in England and Wales.
It looked at sex, age, ethnicity, partnership status, disability status, religious affiliation, region, National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC) and armed forces membership.
Using 2011 Census and death registration data linked by NHS number for people in England and Wales it estimated rates of suicide were:
- higher for men than women
- higher in white and mixed/multiple ethnic groups
- generally lower for people who reported belonging to a religious group
- lower for people who were in a partnership (married or in a registered same-sex civil partnership)
- higher for people who had never worked or were unemployed
- lower in serving members of the armed forces
- higher for disabled people than non-disabled people
In August 2017, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, noted a number of concerns about disability rights in the UK. It stated that the UK should: “Address the high suicide rate among disabled people, especially people with learning disabilities or mental health conditions.”
National Record of Scotland reports on probable suicides in Scotland by sex, age, NHS Board area, council area, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), urban/ rural classification, month of registration and method.
Deprivation
The Equality and Human Rights Monitor 2023: Is Scotland Fairer report highlighted that deprivation is a significant factor in whether someone has attempted suicide. NRS reported that the rate of suicide mortality in the most deprived areas in Scotland was 2.6 times as high as in the least deprived areas in Scotland. This is higher than the deprivation gap of 1.8 times for all causes of death.
Suicide rate by level of deprivation, 2012 – 2022, Scotland
Source: NRS (2023)
Sex
In 2022, suicide deaths among females in Scotland increased by 18 (10%) to 206. There were 556 male suicide deaths, down by 9 (2%) on the previous year. The mortality rate for suicides in 2022 was 2.9 times as high for males as it was for females. The rate has been higher for males than females since the data was first reported in 1994.
Suicide rate by sex, 2012 – 2022, Scotland
Source: NRS (2023)
Age
Since 2000, the average age of suicide deaths has generally risen with a sharp increase of 8% in the last 4 years. The average of age for suicide death in Scotland in 2022 was 41.9 years (NRS).
Suicide rate by age, 2012 -2022, Scotland
Four probable suicide deaths were recorded in people aged between 0 and 10 between 2012 and 2022.
Source: NRS (2023)
However, Public Health Scotland has published analysis of suicide deaths among 5- to 24-year-olds, between 2011 and 2020. It found that a quarter (25.7%) of all deaths of 5 to 24 year olds were probable suicides compared to 1.2% among those aged 25 and over. It also found that suicide was the leading cause of death, accounting for a greater proportion of lives lost than accidental poisonings and land transport accidents.
Suicide Rates Across the UK
The House of Commons Library has reported that the suicide rate in Scotland has been consistently higher than that in Norther Ireland, Wales and England.
In 2022 the age standardised mortality rate for suicides (deaths per 100,000 people) for Scotland was 13.9. This is higher than that for Northern Ireland which had a rate of 12.3 suicides, and England and Wales which had a rate of 10.7.
Scottish Government Policy
The Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) have published Scotland’s Suicide Prevention Strategy 2022-2032: Creating Hope Together in 2022 along with an Action Plan covering the period 2022 to 2025 and the Year 1 Delivery Plan (2023-24).
The Strategy’s vision is to reduce the number of suicide deaths in Scotland, whilst tackling the inequalities which contribute to suicide.
It notes the Scottish Government’s 2021-22 Programme for Government committed to double the specific funding available for suicide prevention over the course of the current Parliamentary term, from £1.4 million to £2.8 million. The Scottish Government has also established a Suicide Prevention National Advisory Group (NSPAG).
The Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport wrote to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee with an update on the on the Suicide Prevention Strategy in June 2023.
This strategy is intended to build on the 2018 strategy Every Life Matters. This previous strategy had the overall aim of reducing the rate of suicide by 20% from a 2017 baseline, by 2022. The most recent NRS report shows that the age standard mortality rate for Scotland for 2018-2022 had increased to 14.4 suicides per 100,000 population compared to a rate of 13.3 in 2013- 2017.
Mental Health Policy and Funding
The Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission have recently carried out a performance update on Adult Mental Health. This found that accessing adult mental health services in Scotland remains slow and complicated for many people.
The report notes that while funding for mental health services has increased significantly since 2017, a lack of data makes it difficult to assess the impact of this increase in spend. The report also highlights that the Scottish Government’s progress against commitments made in its Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027 is mixed, and that although further financial, operational and workforce commitments have since been made, it is not on track to achieve these.
The Public Audit Committee has recently undertaken an inquiry on the Adult Mental Health report. During oral evidence Audit Scotland said:
“Last year, the EBR [Emergency Budget Review: 2022 to 2023] cut funding for mental health services by about £38 million and primary care funding by £65 million.”
In June 2023, the Scottish Government and COSLA published a new mental health and wellbeing strategy. This was followed by a delivery plan and Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan. An outcomes framework has also been developed to help monitor and evaluate progress.
The Scottish Government’s 2024 to 2025 Scottish Budget allocated £290.2 million to mental health services, representing a real terms decrease of 1.6 per cent. In response to the Scottish Government’s budget Neil Mathers, Executive Director of Samaritans Scotland, said:
“This budget represents a real terms cut to mental health services in Scotland. It is vital that people struggling with their mental health have access to high quality, timely support. We welcome Scottish Government’s commitment to suicide prevention but cutting frontline services puts at risk progress to ensure fewer lives are lost to suicide.”
In evidence to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care noted that the £290 million represents central government funding for mental health. Much of the spending on mental health services is undertaken by individual NHS boards or by Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) and the Cabinet Secretary stated that:
“The reality is that about £1.3 billion is invested in mental health services.”
Scottish Government has committed to achieving a 10 per cent allocation of front-line NHS expenditure to mental health services by the end of the current parliamentary session. According to the Cabinet Secretary, expenditure on mental health services currently represents 8.8 per cent of front-line NHS expenditure.
Previous Consideration in the Scottish Parliament
There has been previous consideration of suicide, and more recently male suicide, in the Scottish Parliament. For example, in response to PQ Question S6O-02950, the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Maree Todd MSP spoke about community-based supports and the Creating Hope Together policy. In February 2023 there was a Members’ Business Debate on Male Suicide.
The Criminal Justice Committee has recently been looking at the speed of progress of implementing the recommendations from the Deaths in Custody report (20 Sept 2023 and 22 Nov 2023). In Session 5, the Justice Committee looked at the provisions in HMP Polmont and in secure care for vulnerable young people. This was triggered by the deaths by suicide of Katie Allan and William Lyndsey.
In 2018, the Health and Sport Committee undertook an inquiry into Suicide Prevention in Scotland.
PetitionPE1871: Full review of mental health services called on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to carry out a full review of mental health services in Scotland to include the referral process; crisis support; risk assessments; safe plans; integrated services working together; first response support and the support available to families affected by suicide.
To keep up to date with the forthcoming work of the Equalities Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee keep an eye on its webpage.
Lizzy Burgess, Health and Social Care Team, SPICe Research
Cover image source: https://www.thebluediamondgallery.com/wooden-tile/images/suicide.jpg
