Changing suicide trends: A shift in regional disparities across the UK.

Autor: Hiam L; School of Geography and the Environment, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK., Dorling D; School of Geography and the Environment, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK., McKee M; European Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK. Electronic address: martin.mckee@lshtm.ac.uk.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Public health [Public Health] 2024 Dec 05; Vol. 238, pp. 90-93. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Dec 05.
DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2024.11.018
Abstrakt: Background: In 2023, suicide rates in England & Wales reached their highest levels since 1999. Despite changes in legal definitions and registration methods impacting trends, this increase reflects growing individual suffering. International comparisons suggest that while the UK saw a 12 % rise in suicide rates between 1999 and 2020, many other European countries experienced significant declines.
Methods: We used publicly available data from the Office for National Statistics on suicide rates from 1981 to 2023, by sex and geographical region in England & Wales. We conducted descriptive and statistical analyses with the Joinpoint regression programme to identify significant discontinuities in trends in suicide rates.
Results: In 1981, London had the highest suicide rates, but by 2023, it reported the lowest for both sexes, with declines of 51 % for men and 69 % for women. In contrast, the North East and North West now have much higher rates, particularly in men. Several regions have seen little improvement.
Conclusions: There are substantial regional differences in suicide trends in England. These are consistent with known social and economic changes and point to a need for whole of government responses.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
Externí odkaz: