Scotland
Suicides
Key points
- There are around 100 suicides amongst young adults aged 15-24 each year, mostly males.
- The number is lower than a decade ago. Nevertheless, the suicide rate in Scotland for 15- to 24-year-olds is still more than double the rate in England and Wales.
- Based on evidence from the 1998 Scottish Health Survey, one in five women and one in eight men are identified as at risk of developing a mental illness.
- Recent research suggests that suicides are twice as common in the most deprived areas of Scotland and that, over the last decade, rates have increased more in the most deprived areas. Bain M., Patterns and trends in health inequalities in Blamey, A., Hanlon, P., Judge, K., and Muirie, J., (eds.), Health Inequalities in the New Scotland', Health Promotion Policy Unit and Public Health Institute of Scotland, 2002.
Graph 1: Over time
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Definitions and data sources
The graph shows the number of suicides committed by young adults aged 15 to 24, split by sex.
Whilst acknowledging that there are many factors relating to suicide and that, as such, it cannot be used as a direct measure of mental health, suicide data can be viewed as a proxy measure and is, in any case, of interest, since it is an important cause of premature death amongst young men in Scotland.
The data is from the Scottish General Register Office.
Overall adequacy of the indicator: high. Data on suicides is sourced from administrative data collected by the Scottish General Register Office and is thought to be reliable.
External links
- See the Scottish Executive's national framework for the prevention of suicide and their consultation document on suicide and deliberate self-harm.
- See the Public Health Institute of Scotland's document on suicide among young adults.