Study shows Scotland has a higher suicide rate than England

THE national suicide rate in Scotland is higher than in England - with the rate of deaths among younger adult Scots even higher still, new research has found.

• Suicide rate in Scotland between 2000 and 2006 was 79 per cent higher than in England

• For people aged 15 years and over in Scotland, the suicide rate was 19.8 per 100,000 population compared with 11.0 per 100,000 in England.

• Suicide rate for Scots aged 15 to 44 was twice as high compared with their English counterparts

Professor Stephen Platt of the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Population Health Sciences, said: “There was a marked fall in the suicide rate in Scotland, about 14 per cent, over the decade from 2000, coinciding with the implementation of an intensive suicide prevention strategy - Choose Life.

“Nevertheless, the suicide rate in Scotland remains higher than that in England. Continuing action is required to reduce further the prevalence of the underlying risk factors for suicide in Scotland.”

The study by the Universities of Manchester and Edinburgh found that a high incidence of poor mental health and drug and alcohol abuse in Scotland, along with socio-economic deprivation and social breakdown, explains why the suicide rate is higher north of the border than in England.

The study concluded that the factor most strongly associated with the differences in suicide rate between the countries was the rate of “psychotropic” drug prescriptions in each country, which are given out to deal with depression and other psychiatric conditions.

This could result from a greater willingness of people living in Scotland to seek medical help or that doctors in Scotland are more willing to offer drug treatment for mental ill-health, researchers add.