‘We must talk more openly about suicide’
Region has highest rates in the country
MORE MUST be done to tackle a deep-rooted stigma around suicide, health chiefs have warned as a catalogue of measures are enforced to reduce rising rates.
Rapid progress has been made to prevent a growing number of people taking their own lives in the region, latest figures reveal, after it emerged Yorkshire had the highest rates in the country following a 30 per cent rise in just five years.
But despite efforts to address the issue, campaigners say, more can – and should – be done to ask questions and challenge perceptions over individual’s health and wellbeing.
“There’s more that we can do, when people are crying out for help,” said David Smith, chief executive of Hull and East Yorkshire Mind. “Too many of us are terrified to say the wrong thing and make it worse. The reality is, when someone is reaching out and is in distress, it’s very hard to say the wrong thing.
“Just reaching out can make the difference sometimes.”
This weekend marks World Suicide Prevention Day, and The
Yorkshire Post has committed to shining a light on a critical issue, with nearly 500 people taking their lives in the region in 2016.
In December last year, it emerged Yorkshire had the highest suicide rates for the whole of the country, with areas including York and Rotherham standing out as particularly high.
A raft of measures have been brought in over recent months, authorities have said, with official figures showing a 14 per cent fall in the region year on year.
Health Minister Jackie DoylePrice said it was “heartening” to see the suicide rate at its lowest level in six years across the country, with new figures released this week. “Every suicide is a tragedy,” she added.
“We continue to work tirelessly to prevent further deaths, but we are beginning to see our work pay off with 95 per cent of local areas having a suicide prevention plan in place, including all those across Yorkshire.”
Nearly three quarters of those who take their own lives are men, the research shows. Those most at risk are aged 40-44, and have often experienced a breakdown of a relationship or a bereavement.
Isolation and loneliness, particularly in rural communities, can impact on individuals’ wellbeing, experts have said, while austerity does play a part.
And while steps are being taken in the right direction, experts say, key to saving lives is the ability for communities to open up about what is happening.
“Suicide is still relatively rare, but it has a significant impact on the community,” said Andy Chapman, suicide prevention lead for York.
“And suicide is not inevitable – it is preventable. What’s important is simply having the confidence to start a conversation.”
OPEN DISCUSSION about suicide is needed, campaigners have said, to rebuild community resilience and provide stronger support networks.
Too often, they warn, fear and stigma stand in the way of early intervention which can and does save lives.
“For someone preparing to take their own life, it wasn’t something that they woke up with that morning,” said David Smith, chief executive of Hull and East Yorkshire Mind.
“There has been a life journey that has taken them to that point. Having somewhere to live, a job to go to, having engagement and hope for their future. Being a part of society, part of a community.
“This isn’t a question of whether we have enough mental health services – it’s much wider than that. Our community is where most of us get most of our support most of the time.
“It’s the community side that we need to think about. About how we can rebuild community resilience, and support, so that we are not reliant on mental health services to keep us well.”
It emerged in December Yorkshire had the highest rates for the whole of the country, with 11.6 deaths per 100,000 of the population. The rates had been rising, by 30 per cent over the five years to 2015. New figures show there has been a drop – with efforts from charities and authorities credited with helping to ease the pressures.
But open conversations are still needed, Mr Smith says, to understand why people are at crisis point. “It’s a scary situation to be in, when such a significant rise happens and the research hasn’t been done to understand what has changed in the last few years,” he said. “We just don’t know.
“For every death in an area, there needs to be a proper, meaningful analysis, every time.
“There is something fundamental about our approach to suicide that we need to look at again, and some authorities in Yorkshire are doing it right now,” he said, citing Hull City Council as an example of good practice.
“There’s an acceptance that a certain number of suicides is to be expected, with the impression that if we don’t go above that, it’s OK. One suicide is a suicide too many.”
Kim Shutler-Jones, chief executive of Bradford-based charity The Cellar Trust, said the majority of those who take their own life have had no prior contact with mental health services.
“Overall, the number of suicides is going down nationally,” she said. “However, a lot more people are finding themselves in crisis because of the impact of austerity. They are in crisis because something has happened in their lives. There are a lot of issues in rural areas, around isolation and loneliness.”
Approaches are changing in Yorkshire, she said, and there are pockets of excellence with crisis care, such as in Bradford. And a key focus is on charity support, with many offering a safe haven or a listening ear to individuals in their time of need.
“It’s important just to have that conversation,” she said. “There’s no shame in asking for help.”
A lot more people are in crisis because of the impact of austerity. Kim Shutler-Jones, The Cellar Trust.
THE YORKSHIRE Post makes no apology for highlighting the number of people from this region taking their own lives in spite of a welcome reduction in such occurrences.
Not only is every such death a personal tragedy, but the grief-stricken friends and family of the deceased are left wondering whether they could have done anything.
As this newspaper’s award-winning loneliness campaign has so ably demonstrated, issues pertaining to health and wellbeing can only be tackled if they’re brought out into the open and tackled sensitively.
For, ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day, the vulnerable probably don’t realise the network of goodwill, and practical support, that already exists and will help them to come to terms with their demons.
It is illustrated by the groups that meet every Monday night; part of an initiative set up by former rugby league player Luke Ambler after the death of his brother-in-law Andy.
Called Andy’s Man Club in honour of a young man who ended his life at the age of 23, it’s actually helping men to come together to talk about their feelings in a supportive environment.
So successful, 100 more towns, cities and communities want to become part of an initiative which reflects the fact that nearly three-quarters of suicide victims are male.
By shining a light on these statistics, and how such groups are complementing the long-established work of charities like the Samaritans, this weekend’s awareness-raising exercise will have been worthwhile if just one person is prepared to seek the counsel of others before it is too late.