Michael Ejercito
2024-04-23 03:58:50 UTC
https://www.reddit.com/r/LockdownSkepticism/comments/1caolm0/the_rise_in_suicide_suicide_rates_are_now_the/
The rise in suicide
Suicide rates are now the highest they have been in England for 25 years.
LAURA DODSWORTH
APR 20, 2024
Suicide rates are now the highest they have been in England for 25 years.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released the latest report
of quarterly suicide death registrations in England for Quarter 4
(October to December) of 2023. Unfortunately, it shows a 6% rise, which
is the highest national rate of suicides since 1999. There were 1,439
suicides registered in Quarter 4, equivalent to 11.4 suicide deaths per
100,000 people. Overall there were 5,579 suicides registered in England,
which is significantly higher than 2021 and 2020.
It’s difficult to attribute causes to individual suicides, as well as
trends. While it is important to to be responsible and circumspect when
speculating, this notable and recent upshift in suicide deaths should be
analysed and monitored.
Share
The ONS figures need to be interpreted with some caution because there
is a delay in coronial inquests, meaning that only 39.3% of the deaths
registered in 2023 had a date of death in the same year, and some of the
deaths occurred in 2022 and 2021. Crucially, this means that we should
be cautious about making conclusions for 2023 at the moment as there
will still be a large number of suicides that occurred in 2023 which
have not yet been registered.
So what might have caused the trend? Professor Louis Appleby who chairs
the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group has commented on
the uptick in suicides on Twitter. He suggested that the likeliest cause
is the economic downturn and cost of living crisis. Historically
recessions cause suicide rates to increase. The North East, North West
and East of England have seen the most significant increases in suicide,
but the North East, Midlands and London are actually the three regions
with the highest levels of poverty, so this theory does not necessarily
tally up neatly. The significant jump in the North West specifically
might indicate a change in the way deaths have been recorded. The
economic effect Appleby proposes would also not easily explain that the
increase for women was greatest in the over 60s.
Could there be another factor? Appleby has zoned in on the economy for
obvious and sound reasons, but has so far ignored a key factor.
In April 2021, Professor Appleby was the Lead Author of the report
‘Suicide in England in the COVID-19 pandemic: Early observational data
from real time surveillance’, analysing ’real time surveillance’ (RTS)
of suspected suicides during the pandemic and lockdowns. Despite greater
distress, the study did not find evidence of an increase in suicide
rates. Ensuing ONS month by month data for 2020 and 2021 also showed no
increase in suicides.
There was a vital caveat which needed to applied to this data which,
although present within the ONS report, wasn’t given much weight by
people who endorsed the findings: it was too early to be sure. Suicide
is a verdict given by a coronial court, and does not operate in ‘real
time’. Some courts were running almost a year behind on case load during
the pandemic. This was not something to be ignored in favour of real
time data — the coronial verdict is not simply a rubber stamping
process. Analysis based on real time surveillance might have delivered a
reassuring answer at the time to people who wanted to believe that the
pandemic, lockdowns and other distressing NPIs didn’t ultimately lead to
the most tragic consequences, but it was too soon to deliver a verdict.
Indeed, Appleby’s tweet thread on 12th April 2023, just over a year ago,
was confident in its assumptions:
‘New @ONS data give us, for first time, national suicide rates month by
month for Covid years 2020 & 2021, compared to earlier years. Graph
shows no rise in these years overall, or any month, or any period of
pandemic, including lockdown.
What can we learn from this?
It may tell us something about the protective power of social cohesion,
of looking out for each other, of community, with its message of
acceptance & concern.
If so, we need to hang on to it. It hasn’t looked in strong supply lately.
It may confirm something we saw after the 2008 recession, the
life-saving impact of economic support - for people on benefits or in
debt or fearing for their jobs & homes.
Particularly important as we head further into the cost of living crisis.
It reminds us to look at the evidence, no matter what the headlines claim.
Or the Twitter “likes”.
Or the academics who should know better.
Or the current attempt at revisionism in the media.'
Type your email...
Subscribe
In a National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental
Health presentation, Appleby suggested a number of reasons why suicide
had not increased. Despite the obvious anxiety about Covid-19, the tough
lockdowns, economic ramifications and huge societal changes, he believed
people were protected due to a combination of:
economic protections;
a supposed increase in social cohesion;
increased vigilance and support from family, friends and neighbours;
reduced access to certain methods of suicide;
a sense of short-term crisis.
These could well have prevented the rise in suicide at the time, but
conclusions from previous analyses of other disasters warn that the rise
in suicide does not occur during the disaster, but afterwards. The lack
of rise in suicides was in keeping with disaster literature. A
subsequent increase in suicide - as we see happening now - is also in
keeping with disaster literature.
In the early psychological phases of disaster — ‘heroic’ and ‘honeymoon’
— you would not expect to see more suicides. They come afterwards. In
the case of a ‘slow disaster’ like Covid-19, this could be some time
afterwards.
To receive all new posts and support my work, please subscribe.
Type your email...
Subscribe
At the time, Professor Lucy Easthope, the country’s leading authority on
disaster and recovery, commented that the real time surveillance data
was very useful, but that more attention should be given to the role of
the coronial process as well as the underreporting of possible suicides
which can be recorded as either an open verdict or crucially a narrative
verdict which allows the coroner to expand on the additional factors
that led to death. Ultimately, she concluded, real time death data could
be unreliable.
She is now concerned now that ‘post-disaster conditions that may promote
hopelessness are all increased, including economic instability, domestic
violence, depression and alcohol use’ and that ‘we appear to have
incubated a real sense of nihilism and hopelessness in younger people’.
It’s a frustrating stage of the Covid-19 saga. Warnings at the time were
ignored and it is painful for experts such as Easthope to observe the
impact on the public of chronic disaster and delayed support for
physical and mental health, not to mention the toll on response workers
who ‘tend to feel let down and morally injured by the state’.
‘It’s particularly important to consider long-term suicide when risk
assessing economic policies,’ says Easthope. ‘Things like furlough
schemes have positives but also come with substantial emotional
negatives such as future redundancy, effects on self-worth, esteem and
purpose. All disaster decisions come with negatives, there are no purely
perfect answers. Discussion of the negatives was not welcomed and people
like me were seen as pessimistic if we raised suicide as a result of
Cabinet or Treasury decisions. It was very hard to get traction in 2020
and 2021 with these concerns.’
Whether suicide rates go up or go down, they are preventable and they
are always too high. It’s a tragedy for suicide rates to be the highest
in England for 25 years. If the pandemic and the never-before-used
lockdowns turn out to be a factor in this devastating trend, we could
well see the rates rise further.
Share
According to the Samaritans one in five of us have experienced suicidal
thoughts. If you’re going through a tough time, you don’t have to face
it alone. Call Samaritans day or night on 116 123. Email ***@samaritans.org.
The rise in suicide
Suicide rates are now the highest they have been in England for 25 years.
LAURA DODSWORTH
APR 20, 2024
Suicide rates are now the highest they have been in England for 25 years.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released the latest report
of quarterly suicide death registrations in England for Quarter 4
(October to December) of 2023. Unfortunately, it shows a 6% rise, which
is the highest national rate of suicides since 1999. There were 1,439
suicides registered in Quarter 4, equivalent to 11.4 suicide deaths per
100,000 people. Overall there were 5,579 suicides registered in England,
which is significantly higher than 2021 and 2020.
It’s difficult to attribute causes to individual suicides, as well as
trends. While it is important to to be responsible and circumspect when
speculating, this notable and recent upshift in suicide deaths should be
analysed and monitored.
Share
The ONS figures need to be interpreted with some caution because there
is a delay in coronial inquests, meaning that only 39.3% of the deaths
registered in 2023 had a date of death in the same year, and some of the
deaths occurred in 2022 and 2021. Crucially, this means that we should
be cautious about making conclusions for 2023 at the moment as there
will still be a large number of suicides that occurred in 2023 which
have not yet been registered.
So what might have caused the trend? Professor Louis Appleby who chairs
the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group has commented on
the uptick in suicides on Twitter. He suggested that the likeliest cause
is the economic downturn and cost of living crisis. Historically
recessions cause suicide rates to increase. The North East, North West
and East of England have seen the most significant increases in suicide,
but the North East, Midlands and London are actually the three regions
with the highest levels of poverty, so this theory does not necessarily
tally up neatly. The significant jump in the North West specifically
might indicate a change in the way deaths have been recorded. The
economic effect Appleby proposes would also not easily explain that the
increase for women was greatest in the over 60s.
Could there be another factor? Appleby has zoned in on the economy for
obvious and sound reasons, but has so far ignored a key factor.
In April 2021, Professor Appleby was the Lead Author of the report
‘Suicide in England in the COVID-19 pandemic: Early observational data
from real time surveillance’, analysing ’real time surveillance’ (RTS)
of suspected suicides during the pandemic and lockdowns. Despite greater
distress, the study did not find evidence of an increase in suicide
rates. Ensuing ONS month by month data for 2020 and 2021 also showed no
increase in suicides.
There was a vital caveat which needed to applied to this data which,
although present within the ONS report, wasn’t given much weight by
people who endorsed the findings: it was too early to be sure. Suicide
is a verdict given by a coronial court, and does not operate in ‘real
time’. Some courts were running almost a year behind on case load during
the pandemic. This was not something to be ignored in favour of real
time data — the coronial verdict is not simply a rubber stamping
process. Analysis based on real time surveillance might have delivered a
reassuring answer at the time to people who wanted to believe that the
pandemic, lockdowns and other distressing NPIs didn’t ultimately lead to
the most tragic consequences, but it was too soon to deliver a verdict.
Indeed, Appleby’s tweet thread on 12th April 2023, just over a year ago,
was confident in its assumptions:
‘New @ONS data give us, for first time, national suicide rates month by
month for Covid years 2020 & 2021, compared to earlier years. Graph
shows no rise in these years overall, or any month, or any period of
pandemic, including lockdown.
What can we learn from this?
It may tell us something about the protective power of social cohesion,
of looking out for each other, of community, with its message of
acceptance & concern.
If so, we need to hang on to it. It hasn’t looked in strong supply lately.
It may confirm something we saw after the 2008 recession, the
life-saving impact of economic support - for people on benefits or in
debt or fearing for their jobs & homes.
Particularly important as we head further into the cost of living crisis.
It reminds us to look at the evidence, no matter what the headlines claim.
Or the Twitter “likes”.
Or the academics who should know better.
Or the current attempt at revisionism in the media.'
Type your email...
Subscribe
In a National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental
Health presentation, Appleby suggested a number of reasons why suicide
had not increased. Despite the obvious anxiety about Covid-19, the tough
lockdowns, economic ramifications and huge societal changes, he believed
people were protected due to a combination of:
economic protections;
a supposed increase in social cohesion;
increased vigilance and support from family, friends and neighbours;
reduced access to certain methods of suicide;
a sense of short-term crisis.
These could well have prevented the rise in suicide at the time, but
conclusions from previous analyses of other disasters warn that the rise
in suicide does not occur during the disaster, but afterwards. The lack
of rise in suicides was in keeping with disaster literature. A
subsequent increase in suicide - as we see happening now - is also in
keeping with disaster literature.
In the early psychological phases of disaster — ‘heroic’ and ‘honeymoon’
— you would not expect to see more suicides. They come afterwards. In
the case of a ‘slow disaster’ like Covid-19, this could be some time
afterwards.
To receive all new posts and support my work, please subscribe.
Type your email...
Subscribe
At the time, Professor Lucy Easthope, the country’s leading authority on
disaster and recovery, commented that the real time surveillance data
was very useful, but that more attention should be given to the role of
the coronial process as well as the underreporting of possible suicides
which can be recorded as either an open verdict or crucially a narrative
verdict which allows the coroner to expand on the additional factors
that led to death. Ultimately, she concluded, real time death data could
be unreliable.
She is now concerned now that ‘post-disaster conditions that may promote
hopelessness are all increased, including economic instability, domestic
violence, depression and alcohol use’ and that ‘we appear to have
incubated a real sense of nihilism and hopelessness in younger people’.
It’s a frustrating stage of the Covid-19 saga. Warnings at the time were
ignored and it is painful for experts such as Easthope to observe the
impact on the public of chronic disaster and delayed support for
physical and mental health, not to mention the toll on response workers
who ‘tend to feel let down and morally injured by the state’.
‘It’s particularly important to consider long-term suicide when risk
assessing economic policies,’ says Easthope. ‘Things like furlough
schemes have positives but also come with substantial emotional
negatives such as future redundancy, effects on self-worth, esteem and
purpose. All disaster decisions come with negatives, there are no purely
perfect answers. Discussion of the negatives was not welcomed and people
like me were seen as pessimistic if we raised suicide as a result of
Cabinet or Treasury decisions. It was very hard to get traction in 2020
and 2021 with these concerns.’
Whether suicide rates go up or go down, they are preventable and they
are always too high. It’s a tragedy for suicide rates to be the highest
in England for 25 years. If the pandemic and the never-before-used
lockdowns turn out to be a factor in this devastating trend, we could
well see the rates rise further.
Share
According to the Samaritans one in five of us have experienced suicidal
thoughts. If you’re going through a tough time, you don’t have to face
it alone. Call Samaritans day or night on 116 123. Email ***@samaritans.org.