NHS Health Scotland
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Working together to prevent suicide

World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September 2018 is one opportunity throughout the year to acknowledge that suicide is preventable and it’s everyone’s business.

During Suicide Prevention Week, 10-16 September 2018, it’s worth remembering that while there remains an overall decrease in suicide rates in Scotland over the last 15 years, there’s still much work to be done.

And this is not just about the NHS in Scotland – one in three people who complete suicide have not been in contact with mental health services in the previous 12 months. Suicide prevention is everyone’s business.

A clear link remains between deprivation and suicide with probable suicides two-and-a-half times more common in the most deprived areas compared to those in more affluent areas.

We know that men are more likely to die than women – with just under three quarters of probable suicides in Scotland as a whole being male in every year since 1990.

We know that people from LBGTQ communities, in prisons and involved within the criminal justice system, and those with substance abuse issues are more likely to have suicidal thoughts.

Get involved

The emotional impact on families, friends and communities bereaved by suicide is devastating and can have long lasting negative effects on those left behind. This is why NHS Health Scotland and our national suicide prevention team continue to work together with national and local stakeholders across all sectors to support suicide prevention.

This has included contributing to the new Suicide Prevention Action Plan for Scotland, Every Life Matters. And ahead of Suicide Prevention Week, NHS Health Scotland has been engaging stakeholders (including across the mental health community) to reach out to those who are most likely to be in contact with people at increased risk of suicide.

NHS Health Scotland and key stakeholders are joining the global movement to help raise awareness of Suicide Prevention Day and Week by using the #WSPD hashtag on Twitter: @NHS_HS

Find out more

Visit our website to find out about suicide prevention and how suicide relates to health inequalities. Also find contact details for your local Choose Life Coordinator (if you want to find out more about local action to prevent suicide) as well as our national suicide prevention team:

Visit NHS Health Scotland's page on suicide prevention

You can view NHS Health Scotland's comment on the new suicide prevention action plan

Don’t try to cope alone

For information on what do if you are worried someone is feeling suicidal, and to download ‘The Art of Conversation’, a free guide on spotting the signs, starting a conversation and being a good listener, visit www.chooselife.net/ask

For help and advice for you or the person you’re worried about, call free:

  • Breathing Space: 0800 83 85 87
  • Samaritans: 116 123

 

Channel website: http://www.healthscotland.scot

Original article link: http://www.healthscotland.scot/news/2018/september/working-together-to-prevent-suicide

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