In the last couple of days disturbing stories have emerged of people killing themselves due to the current austerity. In one case a man is thought to have killed himself after being made redundant (see here). In another, a couple killed themselves in a suicide pact because they could not cope with poverty (see here). It is known that women in poverty are 15 times more likely to commit suicide (see here). It is with this in mind that one of my regular readers asked me to investigate whether or not suicide was indeed on the rise. I must say at the outset, that a) there are no 2011 figures for suicide yet and b) there is no way of ascribing motivation to abstract ONS statistics on suicide c) Experts are sceptical that recessions lead to increased suicide. Thus, any trends recorded my be simply coincidental. Nevertheless, the data is presented below.
According to the office of national statistics, the % of male deaths resulting from intentional self harm (suicide) as a proportion of the overall deaths resulting from injury and poisoning reached a four year high in 2010. We cannot know the motivation for these men who committed suicide, simply that as a proportion of external deaths, they have been rising.
According to the office of national statistics, the % of female deaths resulting from intentional self harm (suicide) as a proportion of the overall deaths resulting from injury and poisoning reached a four year high in 2010. We cannot know the motivation for these women who committed suicide, simply that as a proportion of external deaths, they have been rising.
The question is this; why is it that suicide is increasingly forming a larger portion of deaths resulting from injury or poisoning? Suicide levels have, generally speaking, been falling fairly steadily since the 1970s. Indeed, suicide rates up until 2007 were in quite steady decline. The question is this, why has this trend been halted, or dare I say it reversed?
Experts in the field have complained that the ONS are underestimating suicides by up to 6% in the last couple of years due to the increased recording of narrative verdicts by coroners. (see link). The Evening Standard have speculated that the increase could be linked to economic pressures. The Independent, also reached the same conclusions.
