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What to conclude from today’s suicide figs? Tragic that rates rose in UK in 2018, really from late 2017, reversing fall of prev 4yrs. Although highest rates are in people in their 40s/50s, main rise is in young people.
In fact, rise in suicide in young people is not new. Teenage suicide rates have been rising since around 2010, continuing despite falling rates in other age groups. Non-fatal self-harm in young people has also been rising.
Part of today’s rise can be attributed to a lowering of the standard of proof for suicide required at inquest. But the rise began before that, so other factors are having an effect. We don’t know for certain what those factors are but...
Suicide rates are strongly influenced by deprivation & the econ adversity many have faced in last 10yrs - not only job loss but zero hours, benefits & where to live - are bound to have had an impact, though less clear how these factors explain today’s abrupt rise.
And the continuing increase in suicide in young people suggests causes that affect them more. Could it be a loss of prospects, of promise, of hope? A different kind of deprivation, partly material but also of intangibles like optimism & a fair society.
Many young people are anxious about jobs, the cost of housing, escalating debt, how they look. They also see environmental crisis, narrowing of their horizons, social injustice. And power lying with people who have different values & aren’t listening.
Of course we need to improve mental health care & help young people develop the emotional strengths they need for success in relationships & at school. But these things have always been true. Today’s figures show something new is happening.
We need to give young people a positive message about their place in the world, the chance to shape their future, economically & politically, with right values. To replace anxiety with optimism & confidence. Not just about their own lives but where society as a whole is heading.
