Scots suicide rate falls 19% in ten years

The Scottish suicide rate fell by 19 per cent between the periods 2000-2002 and 2011-2013, latest figures show.

The statistics, published today by National Records of Scotland and ISD Scotland, cover the time period of the Scottish Government’s decade-long Choose Life Strategy, which ran from 2002 to 2013.

The strategy included collaboration from a number of partners, including NHS Health Scotland’s National Programme for Suicide Prevention, the wider NHS, social work professionals, local authorities, the voluntary sector and the police.

Some of the measures taken to reduce suicide as part of the Choose Life Strategy included:

• Establishment of a Scottish suicide information database, to record details of the circumstances of people who die by suicide, helping health professionals to better plan how to prevent it
• Choose Life Co-ordinators recruited to the majority of Scottish local authorities, helping to co-ordinate, plan and direct suicide prevention work tailored to local needs
• The establishment of a national leadership and co-ordination team
• At least half of all NHS frontline workers trained in suicide prevention awareness by 2010
• Awareness-raising campaigns encouraging people to seek help if they are suicidal, and offering support for people worried about someone in that position

Michael Matheson, Minister for Public Health, said:“Any suicide is a tragedy which has a devastating impact on family and friends left behind, so it is very encouraging to see such a significant reduction in the suicide rate.

“A 19 per cent reduction over a decade is testament to the dedication of many people, across the NHS and beyond, who work tirelessly to help people who might be at risk of taking their lives.

“At the end of last year I launched our new Suicide Prevention Strategy for 2013-16. This strategy sets out a range of commitments designed to continue this downward trend, and to further increase our understanding of suicide.”

Alana Atkinson, Lead for the National Programme for Suicide Prevention at NHS Health Scotland said: “NHS Health Scotland has led the national programme for suicide prevention on behalf of the Scottish Government since 2008. Choose Life was a ground-breaking strategy and action plan that brought individuals and organisations together from across Scotland to work in partnership to prevent suicide in innovative and effective ways.

“We are proud to have been part of this work, by making direct contributions and supporting others at local and national levels in their work to reduce the number of people who died by suicide in Scotland over the last 10 years. Every death by suicide is a tragedy. Health Scotland will continue to contribute to the momentum we have gathered in preventing deaths by suicide over the coming years of the new strategy.”

The full ISD statistical release can be viewed here: http://www.isdscotland.org/NRS statistics can be found here: http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/vital-events/deaths/suicides/index.html