Suicide and Suicidal Thoughts
The number of children contemplating suicide has increased by fourteen per cent over the past year.
Up to fifteen to twenty per cent of unresponsive manic depressives kill themselves. When the condition is poorly controlled through incorrect medication, or combinations of them, and in harrowing life circumstances, suicide can happen, and it is vital to encourage sufferers to keep as much contact with carers as they can and, if possible, so that when things start to go wrong there is help to prevent these crises.
Statistics
Around 4500 people kill themselves in England and Wales each year (one in 100 deaths), while at least ten times that number of people attempt suicide.
In almost all cultures, the suicide rate rises with age, with the highest rates in the UK for those over seventy-five. In recent years, suicide has also increased in young man, and it is now the second leading cause of death in the fifteen to twenty-four age group, after accidents.
Certain factors are known to be associated with increased risk, including drug and alcohol misuse, unemployment, social isolation and family breakdown. People with diagnosed mental health problem are at particular risk. Indeed, up to ninety per cent of suicide victims have been reported to have been suffering from a psychiatric disorder at the time of their death. Read more…
