The rate of suicide in men in England and wales is at its lowest since 1981, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The 2017 suicide rate for males in the UK was 15.5 per 100,000, representing 4,382 suicides. This is the lowest rate since 1981. Men aged 45 to 49 are the age group with the highest suicide rate, of 24.8 deaths per 100,000, the ONS figures show.
‘Suicide is not inevitable, it is preventable. And when someone takes their own life the result is absolute devastation for those left behind,’ said Samaritans chief executive, Ruth Sutherland.
‘It’s encouraging to see the reduction in male suicide. We believe that the focus of suicide prevention in recent years to tackle the higher rates in men has contributed to this. Added to this, reducing stigma around men’s mental health and encouraging men to open up and ask for help when they are struggling has been beneficial. But one death by suicide is still one too many.'
However, males are still three times more likely to die by suicide than females.
There were 1,439 female suicides in 2017, with the rate remaining stable at 4.9 per 100,000. among women, 50- to 54-year-olds had the highest suicide rate – 6.8 deaths per 100,000
‘The suicide rate in females has remained stable over the last decade,’ added Ms Sutherland. 'It’s encouraging of course that there hasn’t been an increase over this time, but we believe more can be also be done to understand why women take their own lives and what works in terms of prevention.'