Men more likely to take their own lives than women, new figures find

Suicide rates in Scotland have fallen, new figures have shown.

There were 680 deaths recorded as probable suicides last year, down 7 per cent from 728 in 2016.

Men are three times more likely to take their own lives than women. Male suicides were up slightly from 517 in 2016 to 522 in 2017.

But the deaths of 158 women in Scotland recorded as probable suicides last year was down from 211 in the previous year and at the lowest level since 1982.

Scotland’s most deprived areas had a probable suicide 0 Alex Cole-hamilton wants a new suicide prevention plan rate more than two-and-a-half times higher than the least deprived areas between 2013 and 2017, but this has fallen from the previous four years.

Charity the Mental Health Foundation welcomed the fall in suicide deaths, but said a radical new government prevention plan was needed, claiming existing structures were “not fit for purpose”.

No new plan has been in place since the previous strategy came to an end in 2016.

Foundation policy manager Toni Giugliano said a new national body for suicide prevention was needed.

Liberal Democrat Alex Cole-hamilton said: “It is now 18 months since SNP ministers allowed the last suicide prevention strategy to expire and it still hasn’t been replaced.”