Legal News

A new report from the University of Manchester has revealed that the number of male mental health patients in the UK who die by suicide has risen by almost a third in the last decade – with the biggest increases in the 45-54 age group.

BBC News reports that in this age group the number of deaths has risen by 73% in ten years – and researchers say that male deaths should be seen as a “suicide prevention priority”.

The total number of suicides by mental health patients in the UK reached a ten-year high in 2013 – with a total of 1,876 suicides recorded that year, compared with 1,453 in 2006, the lowest number recorded in the ten-year period.
Director of the University of Manchester's National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness – Professor Louis Appleby – cited a number of factors behind the increase in suicides among mental health patients.
"The problem is not simply that they don't seek help,” said Prof Appleby.
“They are already under mental health care, so we have to understand better the stresses men in this age group face.
The report said that alcohol misuse, isolation, unemployment and debt all added to the risk of suicide in male mental health patients and these issues needed to be addressed.

Mental health charity Mind is calling for a more proactive approach to supporting men experiencing suicidal thoughts, to make sure they get “the right help at the right time”.
The report looked at patient suicides from 2003 to 2013 and concluded the rise in the total number of suicides was mainly due to an increase in suicides in England, where mental health patient numbers have also risen.
The authors of the report warn that deaths among mental health patients have become “substantially more common” – and they suggest that patient suicides accounted for 30% of all suicides in 2013, an increase of 3% compared with suicide rates ten years earlier.

A bipolar patient who says he has tried to take his life on two occasions in the last eight years told the BBC:

“Whether you like it or not, I feel that men are very reticent to speak about their wellbeing, or their health – they find it hard. This is the problem. This is where it really is going to take its toll.
“It is a terrible rise in the last few years – and I honestly believe that people who go and say they are feeling suicidal have to be believed.
Talking about his own experience, 49-year-old Peter Warwick added:
“You present yourself, but what happened to me was, 'We will send you home with a diazepam and we will see you in the morning'.
“Well, if you are suicidal, that's not good enough. You could go and kill yourself,” Mr Warwick said.

Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is the UK’s largest provider of Legal Aid mental health services and our specialist mental health solicitors can advise on a wide range of matters, including access to NHS mental health services and detention under the Mental Health Act.

There are Duncan Lewis offices nationwide and our mental health solicitors are available at short notice for appoints at police stations and hospitals.

In some cases, Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors may also be able to advise the nearest relative or carer of a mental health patient on mental health issues, including initiating treatment reviews and Judicial Review of social services or mental health trust decisions.

For expert legal advice on mental health law, call the Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors Helpline on 0203 114 1124.