Councillor urges action to help cut suicide rates

A councillor is promising to talk more about suicide as part of a prevention policy.

Councillor Duncan MacPherson says “loving people” and making sure they are listened to, is one of the ways he will be asking the council to help formulate a policy.

The Highlands has the second highest suicide rate in Scotland, with 73 people taking their lives in 2018. Orkney has the highest rate per head with five people taking their own lives in 2018.

Mr MacPherson says the policy will have a knockon effect on the health and wellbeing of the area and it is financially prudent to invest in the mental welfare residents.

Explaining the widespread nature of suicide the Inverness councillor said: “Within the council offices we have lost a colleague recently ourselves, and it is so sad.

“We are hoping to start to look at a holistic way to support people and to talk about what is wrong.

“Yes, it can be difficult to of Highland be alongside people when they are suicidal, and it can be hard to listen to people, but unless we talk, and talk some more – and love people – then nothing will change.”

Mr MacPherson said he was influenced by a project in Detroit called Zero Suicides that had greatly reduced deaths in the city.

He said: “They asked people as part of everyday life how they were feeling. And it worked, they just talked.”

Pointing out the cost of suicides can run into the millions, he said it makes sense to invest in support.

He continued: “We will bring forward a motion at Highland Council that seeks to tackle suicide, self harm and attempted suicide face on.”