Suicide Prevention Scotland responds to 2022 deaths by suicide data

Suicide Prevention Scotland has responded to today’s release of data from National Records of Scotland (NRS) for 2022 which shows a small year on year increase in deaths by probable suicide.

Statistics released by NRS show that there were 762 suicides registered in 2022, a 1.2% increase on 2021 (which was down 6.5% on 2020’s data).

Annual data can fluctuate so it is important to also view the figures in terms of five year rolling averages which give a better understanding of the pattern of deaths over time.

The number of deaths by suicide in 2022 is slightly below the previous five-year average (771). Apart from 2021, it’s the lowest number of suicide deaths since 2017 (680).

The average age of death by suicide has risen from the previous year. In 2022 this was 48.1 years; in 2022 it was 41.9 years.

The small increase in the past year can be attributed to an increase in female suicides by 18 and a reduction in male suicides, which decreased by nine. The rate for men remains three times that of women.

Compared to the previous female five-year average (198 for 2017–2021), 2022 shows an increase of eight deaths. Compared to the previous male five-year average (573 for 2017–2021), 2022 shows a decrease of 17 probable suicides.

There was an increase in suicide rate 2017–2019, followed by a decrease 2019–2021, with the lowest numbers seen since 2017 in 2021. Although the numbers released for 2022 do not continue to follow this decrease it is too early to say if the downward trend has stalled, as several years’ data are needed to confirm an overall trend.

Probable suicides in the 15–24-year-old group have fallen by four to 69 in 2022, from 73 in 2021.

The biggest reduction seen is in the 25–34-year-old group, which fell by 35 to 113 in 2022 from 148 in 2021. However, the next oldest age category, the 35–44-year-olds, saw one of the highest increases (up 22 to 153).

There has also been a slight increase over the last year in older age groups, including the 55–64-year-olds (up 22, to 143 deaths, and mirroring similar findings for 2021) and the 65–74-year-olds (up 18, to 91 deaths).

The increase in these older age groups was driven mostly by male suicides, which increased by 37 to 121 in the 55–64-year-olds.

When we look at the rate of suicide, the highest rate seen in 2022 was among 35–44-year-old males (35.6 per 100,000), an increase from 27.4 in 2021.

In 2022, the suicide rate in the most deprived areas was 21.7 per 100,000, compared with least deprived areas of 8.4 per 100,000.

This means that deaths by suicides in 2022 occurred 2.6 times more in our most deprived communities, an improvement on inequality seen in previous years.

The five-year average 2018–2022 was three times more in the most deprived areas compared with least deprived areas. This is a small improvement from the previous five year average 2017–2021, which was 3.1 times more.

Last September, the Scottish Government and COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) launched the country’s new long-term suicide prevention strategy and action plan, Creating Hope Together.

To deliver the new strategy, a new community of organisations and people, Suicide Prevention Scotland, has been established.

Creating Hope Together sets out four key outcomes. Partnership is at the heart of the approach, and so a strategic partner(s) has been appointed to drive delivery. They are:

• Creating a safer environment that protects against suicide across the whole of Government and society — Samaritans
• Improving understanding of suicide and tackling stigma — SAMH
• Providing compassionate support for anyone affected by suicide — Penumbra & Change Mental Health
• Working in a connected way, that always draws on evidence and lived experience — Public Health Scotland

A new National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group has also been established.

Led by Rose Fitzpatrick CBE QPM, its members represent many of the sectors leading work on the social determinants of suicide. This includes poverty, as well as partners who are working in key sectors affected by suicide — such as the criminal justice sector.

Their role is to provide advice to Suicide Prevention Scotland, Scottish Government and COSLA which helps us focus on the complexity, intersectionality and inequality of suicide.

Suicide Prevention Scotland’s recently appointed National Delivery Lead Haylis Smith comments:

“Today we learnt that 762 families lost a loved one to suicide in 2022. Every person was a family member or friend — important to and loved by others. Each and every one drives our commitment to do everything we can to prevent suicide.

“Creating Hope Together — the new strategy and action plan, along with Suicide Prevention Scotland, the community of people across the country who are involved in suicide prevention, will help to ensure we deliver a joined up whole of government — and society — approach.

“The year one priorities provide a strong base for us to continue the detailed work that has been undertaken in recent years and the outcomes framework will help us measure our progress.

“Understanding the determinants of suicide is vital to our work and will continue to help shape the critical focus on inequalities, particularly the impact of poverty, because we know that you are 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide if you live in the most deprived areas, than the least.

“Everyday we should remind ourselves that talking about suicide saves lives. People often worry about bringing the subject up, about saying the word suicide, but we know that talking about suicide is an important way that we can ensure that no death is inevitable. ”

Steve McHugh is part of Suicide Prevention Scotland’s Lived Experience Panel. His son died by suicide in 2016. He said:

“No one underestimates the complexity or the size of the challenge that we face, and we all understand that a lot of the work we are doing in Suicide Prevention Scotland is building institutional strength, capacity and awareness that will drive these numbers down over the longer term.

“It is totally regretful that we’ve seen a short term increase from 2021 to 2022, but we believe we are working extremely hard on the right things.

“That being said, we have to try and move quicker from the ideas into implementation in our communities.

“We were all very fearful that lockdown was going to have a spike impact on suicide rates, and that didn’t happen, but we are aware that lockdown has had a long-term impact on the population’s mental health and there are going to be further challenges ahead.”

Nadine Dougall, Professor of Mental Health & Data Science at Edinburgh Napier University and a member of the Suicide Prevention Scotland Academic Advisory Group comments:

“Every death by suicide has devastating consequences on families, friends, and communities. The deaths by suicide registered in 2022 showed a 1% increase on the previous year, although they were also slightly below the previous five year average.

“The 2022 data also reveals that stark inequalities remain between our most and least deprived communities, with 2.6 times as many deaths registered in our most deprived areas.

“Although we have seen a slight improvement in this inequality comparing previous five year averages, it is still clear that as well as bringing down numbers of deaths by suicide, we must tackle the wider inequalities that contribute to suicide.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health or feeling suicidal, please don’t hesitate to ask for help by contacting your GP, NHS24 on 111, Samaritans on 116 123 or Breathing Space on 0800 83 58 87.