The suicide rate within both England and Wales fell during the first national coronavirus lockdown, analysis of death registrations suggests
The ONS said that some 1,603 deaths from suicide occurred between April and July of 2020, around 75% of which were males.
The suicide rate within both England and Wales fell during the first national coronavirus lockdown, analysis of death registrations suggests.
According to an analysis of provisional data by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), some 1,603 suicides had occurred between April and July of 2020, around three-quarters of which had been males, according to the ONS.
This is down 18% from the same period back in 2019 and 12.7% below the average for the same period within the previous five years.
It equates to a mortality rate of 9.2 deaths per 100,000 people, which is significantly lower than the rates for the same period in the previous three years, but similar to that of the suicide rate 2016.
The fall had been primarily fuelled by a drop within the male suicide rate in the UK (to 13.9 deaths per 100,000 males), while the female rate has remained at a similar level (4.7 deaths per 100,000 females).
This comes after services may be cut unless NHS England receives an extra £10bn in funding next year, groups representing the service have warned. The NHS Confederation, as well as NHS Providers have said that the money was needed to cover pandemic-related costs.
The Samaritans have called the data “very reassuring” and called for the Government to introduce a national system for real-time suicide reporting in order to help sustain the fall in the rate.
It is the first assessment of UK suicides that occurred during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, due to the delays in death registrations while coroners investigate deaths.
The latest available evidence shows that UK suicide rates did not increase during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is contrary to some speculation occurring at the time.
The ONS has said that most suicides for the period will now have been officially registered, and while the latest set of data is an underestimate, it would take an “unfeasibly large” number of late registrations in order to conclude that the rate rose during these months.
Julie Stanborough, who is the ONS head of health analysis and life events, has said that: “The latest available evidence shows that suicide rates did not increase during the early stages of the pandemic, which is contrary to some speculation at the time.
“Instead, we found suicide rates to be lower between April and July 2020, the first wave of Covid-19 in England and Wales, when compared to the same period in previous years.”
She said that the findings are consistent with more contemporaneous surveillance and research studies performed on other countries such as the US, Japan, Germany, and Australia.
Jacqui Morrissey, who is the assistant director of research and influencing at the Samaritans, said: “The latest ONS data is very reassuring as it confirms that there was no dramatic increase in suicide rates during the early phase of the pandemic, contrary to what many expected.
“In fact, fewer people died by suicide in the early months of the pandemic than in the same period in previous years, and research suggests this may be down to people pulling together and looking out for one another more.
“However, this data is now over a year old, and we know that the pandemic is going to have a long-lasting impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing, so there is no room for complacency.
“The Government must put suicide prevention at the heart of post-pandemic recovery plans and, if this drop is to be more than just a one-off, introduce a national system of real-time suicide reporting that means we can rely on accurate, up-to-date information for tackling suicide and measuring progress.”
This comes after Dr Yvonne Doyle, Director for Public Health England, said that she understood parents’ nervousness about schools returning after the summer within England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but she insisted that they were not “hubs of infection”.
Caroline Harper, who is mental health lead at Bupa, said: “Suicidal thoughts and feelings can affect anyone at any time, regardless of your age, gender, or background.
“There’s no ‘one reason that causes you to experience these thoughts, any changes to your life can affect how you feel, and these can happen to anyone.”
She added that the coronavirus pandemic been a tough period, and that there must be a continued awareness of mental health support in the UK as the nation recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you are struggling to cope, you can call Samaritans for free on 116 123 (UK and ROI) or contact other sources of support, such as those listed on the NHS’s help for suicidal thoughts webpage.
