Deaths of Despair hit all-time high

We must work to give people a new sense of purpose, help them take control of their lives

– Public health expert Sir Harry Burns

‘ A rat race is for rats. We are not rats. We are human beings – Jimmy Reid

The number of middle-aged Scots dying of drink, drugs or suicide has hit a record high, we can reveal.

The fatalities, branded “deaths of despair” by experts, has exceeded 3,000 per year in Scotland for the first time.

The phrase was coined after the deaths of middle-aged Americans increased in parts of the US decades after de-industrialisation.

Experts said they recognised the same patterns of desperation and bleakness here among people who feel they have little to live for.

Shocking figures last week showed the number of drug-related deaths in Scotland has soared to a record 1,187.

The figure, up 27% on the year before, is the highest in the EU.

Last month, statistics showed a 15% increase in suicides to 784.

Scotland’s long-standing battle with alcohol is well-documented. Official figures showed 1,136 alcohol-related deaths last year.

Half of the combined 3,107 deaths last year were people in the 35-54 age group, with a third of the total men in that age bracket.

Sir Harry Burns, formerly Scotland’s chief medical officer and now professor of global health at Strathclyde University, said: “Research in the US has shown huge increases in deaths of blue-collar workers in their 50s, male and female, due to drugs, alcohol and suicide.

“They were referred to as deaths of despair. It was people who had lost their jobs and lost pensions.

“We are now seeing the emergence in Scotland of the same patterns of ill health. People have no job and no purpose in life.

“When I was a surgeon in Glasgow it was the booze people turned to. Now, in increasing numbers, it’s drugs as well.”

Professor Burns cited Clydeside trade unionist Jimmy Reid’s famous speech at Glasgow University in 1972 when he warned workers were becoming alienated from society, adding: “A rat race is for rats. We’re not rats. We’re human beings.”

The public health expert said: “Jimmy Reid saw what was happening when he talked about alienation. He saw people with no control over their lives and no say in shaping or determining their own destinies.

“It’s where the despair sets in. It’s what happens when the economy goes belly-up and people lose their jobs and you have people pushing drugs, taking advantage of the circumstances others are in.

“If we are going to make a difference we need to give people a sense of purpose and help them take control of their lives.”

Figures compiled by

The Sunday Post show Scotland’s drugs, suicide and alcohol deaths are up 14% on the year before and have increased by more than 50% in the past 20 years.

While research has shown deaths from traditional killers such as heart disease and cancer have decreased over the past 30 to 40 years, deaths from alcohol, drugs and s uicides, especially among men, have increased in the same time. Most occurred in areas of deprivation.

Jim White, 83, secretary of the Wayside Club, which has been helping people on the streets of Glasgow affected by addiction since the 1920s, says the problem is worse now than it ever has been.

Jim, who has been involved at the Wayside for 60 years, said: “It was always alcohol but now people are acknowledging how many deaths are due to drugs and suicide. “There’s no simple cure.

“But we have to improve the conditions in which people live and people need to be educated.

“We need to help people who are addicted and educate young people growing up.”

Ann Marie Cocozza, co-founder of Scottish support group FAMS, which helps those affected by suicide, said: “I understand the concept of deaths of despair. People can resort to alcohol and drugs to mask pain at any age.

“It’s what’s behind it that’s the root of the problem.”

Scottish Conservative public health spokeswoman Annie Wells said: “We owe it to these people who lost their lives to come up with a solution. It will require all political standpoints coming together, both governments, and an agreed attitude of co-operation.”

The Scottish Government said: “Our refreshed strategy, backed by further investment of £20 million a year, sets out a range of measures to prevent alcohol and drug-related harm. We have committed an extra £250m to improve mental health services.”