World rate of deaths by suicide falls by one third

GLOBAL SUICIDE rates have decreased by almost a third in the last three decades, new analysis suggests.

The total number of international deaths from suicide rose by 6.7 per cent between 1990 and 2016 to an estimated 817,000, according to research published in journal the BMJ. However the global mortality rate for suicide, when adjusted for age, dropped by 32.7 per cent across this period, from 16.6 deaths per 100,000 to 11.2 deaths per 100,000.

The researchers described the declining rate as “promising”.

“Whether the decline in suicide mortality is due to suicide prevention activities, or reflects general improvements to population health, it warrants further research,” they added.

The estimated 817,000 suicides is 1.49 per cent of all deaths in 2016, the analysis suggests.

The researchers also estimate that 34.6m years of life lost that year were due to suicide.

“Although there has been progress on reducing suicide mortality in recent decades, suicide remains an important preventable contributor to the global burden of disease across all regions,” they wrote.

Global mortality rates were higher among men than women across all age groups, except those aged between 15 to 19 years old, according to the analysis.

Suicide accounted for 15.6 deaths per 100,000 globally for men compared to seven per 100,000 for women.

The global age-standardised mortality rate for men decreased by 23.8 per cent across the period, lower than the 49 per cent drop for women, and the researchers warned that this difference could continue to widen.

The research used data from the 2016 Global Burden of Disease study to describe patterns of suicide mortality.

It follows a report yesterday which said images of self-harm and suicide on social media “normalise” such behaviour and leave people at risk, the Suicide Prevention Minister has said.

Jackie Doyle-Price, born in Sheffield, warned that such content now posed an online threat as great as child grooming. She said: “We must look at the impact of harmful suicide and self-harm content online.”