UK
May - the Peak Month for British suicides
By Priory Group
May 9, 2005, 21:36

May is the peak month for British suicides, according to mental health experts at the Priory Group. “Extensive scientific research in the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe and Australia has proven that suicides soar in spring, making May the most dangerous month of the year for those suffering from depression,” says Professor Chris Thompson, Director of Healthcare Services for the Priory Group. “There is one suicide every 84 minutes in the UK and Ireland, with approximately 6,300 people taking their lives each year – more than double the number of deaths from road traffic accidents and 12 times the number of murders.”

Over a quarter of the British population know someone who has committed suicide.

“It is a harsh irony that the partial remission which most depression sufferers experience in the spring often provides the boost of energy required for executing a suicide plan,” explains Professor Thompson. “People coming out of depression have a higher suicide rate than those who are severely depressed and this is exacerbated by the season. Spring is a time for new beginnings and new life, yet the juxtaposition between a literally blooming world and the barren inner life of the clinically depressed is often too much for them to bear.”

90% of suicides are linked to pre-existing mental illnesses, most commonly depression, schizophrenia and substance abuse. The UK now has one of the highest rates of attempted suicide in Europe, with 140,000 people attempting suicide each year; approximately 20% of attempters are re-admitted to hospital within a year of their previous attempt and one out of every 100 attempters will die by suicide within a year of an attempt, a risk 100 times that of the general population. There has been a 50% rise in attempted suicides since 1990. Males account for 75% of all suicides, with male suicides peaking during the ages of 25 – 34, while female suicides soar among those aged 45 – 54. The most common method employed is self-poisoning, with an enormous increase in the use of paracetamol over the last 20 years.
Serotonin to blame ?

“Scientific evidence suggests that serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain responsible for body functions like sleep, pain and mood disorders, may be responsible for the spring suicide risk,” says Professor Thompson.

Recent Canadian research revealed that seasonal fluctuations in suicides closely parallel seasonal fluctuations in bright sunlight, especially for violent suicides.

Reduced serotonin has been linked with a greater propensity to act on powerful feelings like suicide and aggression. Autopsies performed on the brains of suicide victims have demonstrated lower levels of serotonin activity compared to those who died from other causes. Low serotonin levels have also been linked with many types of violent acts.
Adolescent suicides

Suicide accounts for 20 per cent of all adolescent deaths, with two youngsters committing suicide daily in the UK and Ireland. Approximately 19,000 adolescents attempt suicide annually, which equates to more than one every 30 minutes. More than 24,000 teenagers are admitted to hospital each year after deliberately self-harming.

Up to 10 per cent of British adolescents have disorders that might benefit from psychiatric help: up to 8 per cent have depression, around 6 per cent abuse dangerous or addictive substances and 70 per cent of premature adult deaths can be linked to behaviours that were developed in adolescence like illicit drug abuse, drinking and smoking.

“Young men aged 15 – 19 are most likely to attempt suicide, usually by overdose,” says Professor Thompson. “Factors linked to suicide and suicide attempts among the young include alcohol and drug abuse, physical and sexual abuse, unemployment and being in custody. There is a growing body of evidence which shows that childhood trauma and destructive experiences can lead to a variety of negative mental health issues. An unacceptably high proportion of severe adolescent mental health problems remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, leading to lives of utter desperation for thousands of youngsters throughout the UK.”
The Priory's ‘Depression Checklist'

“More than 80 per cent of people with depression can be successfully treated,” says Professor Thompson. “The first step is to recognise the problem and ask your GP for help. More than 2.9m people in the UK are diagnosed as having depression at any one time, yet up to 75 per cent of cases are neither recognised nor treated. Unfortunately, about 10 – 15 per cent of depressed people take their own lives – it is the most common cause of suicide.”

Symptoms of depression include:

* Lowered mood.
* Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in normal activities.
* Significant weight loss when not dieting, or major weight gain.
* Insomnia or sleeping too much.
* Fatigue.
* Feelings of worthlessness or excessive / inappropriate guilt.
* Diminished ability to think or concentrate or indecisiveness.
* Recurrent thoughts of death or committing suicide.

Amelia Mustapha, spokesperson for Depression Alliance, says, “Depression is a debilitating, life-threatening disease which affects one in five people at some stage in their lives. Unfortunately, depression is still under-diagnosed in primary care, which means that hundreds of thousands of people in the UK are trapped in the throes of this potentially-fatal illness. We urge anyone who feels suicidal, or who believes that they are seriously depressed, to visit their GP for help. The good news is that depression can be successfully treated and many affected by the condition go on to lead happy and fulfilling lives.”

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