Suicide rate among children and young people rose 50% in 10 years, figures show | Mental health
Suicide rates among children and young people have increased by 50% over the past decade, according to figures published for the first time.
The analysis looked at data from almost 12 million children and young people aged 15 to 25 from 2011-12 to 2021-22.
A total of 440 young people took their own lives in 2021-22, an increase of 47% compared to 300 such deaths in 2011-22, according to ONS analysis. There were 4,315 deaths by suicide over the entire period.
As a result, the suicide rate among 100,000 children and youth increased by 54% over the same period.
Suicide rates also peaked around the summer exam period, with an increase in the spring. Conversely, the start of the university year sees a slight decline.
Mind policy lead and influencer Gemma Byrne said the figures were “devastating” and show we are “going backward, not forward, when it comes to young people’s mental health”.
“The causes of suicide are complex and differ from person to person, but we know that more than half a million people under the age of 18 are on mental health waiting lists, and one in four of them wait more than two years for meaningful care,” Byrne added. “Too many young people cannot get help in the community when they need it. »
She warned: “Until the Government understands the scale of the country’s mental health crisis, more children and young people will be failed by the systems meant to care for them.
“We need to invest in early support for young people, through a national network of early support centers and a commitment to reducing mental health waiting lists, so they can get help before it is too late.
There were also “small, significant differences” between men’s and women’s rates that appear when looking at the entire year, the data showed.
The highest suicide rate among women was recorded in early May, at 0.53 per 100,000 people. This rate was “significantly higher” than that of women in early July, at 0.29 per 100,000 inhabitants – the week when the highest suicide rate was recorded among men.
The figures for men range from a high of 1.26 in early July to a low of 0.85 in late November.
The analysis comes after suicide rates in England and Wales last year reached their highest level since 1999, with charities calling on the Government to invest in suicide prevention measures.
The Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.
