Suicide
Back to Topic
Click to Print
Useful Websites
Glossary Term Selection
Around 4,400 people end their own lives in England each year – that’s one death every two hours – and at least ten times that number attempt suicide.
Around 75% of suicides are men and in almost all cultures, the suicide rate rises with age. The highest rates of suicide in the UK are among people aged over 75 and it remains a common cause of death in men under the age of 35.
Risk factors
Certain factors are known to be associated with increased risk of suicide. These include:
- drug and alcohol misuse
- unemployment
- social isolation
- poverty
- poor social conditions
- imprisonment
- violence
- family breakdown.
People with a diagnosed mental health condition are at particular risk. Around 90% of suicide victims suffer from a psychiatric disorder at the time of their death.
Those at the highest risk of suicide are people suffering from alcoholism, clinical depression or schizophrenia. Previous suicide attempts are also an indication of particular risk. Up to 20% of survivors try ...
Want to see the rest of this article?
Would you like to see the rest of this article and all the other benefits that Issues Online can provide with?
- Useful related articles
- Video and multimedia references
- Statistical information and reference material
- Glossary of terms
- Key Facts and figures
- Related assignments
- Resource material and websites
