Sharp rise in young suicides in deprived areas

Last updated at 16:24 13 July 2007


Suicide rates in young adults have increased dramatically in some of Scotland's most deprived areas, according to research.

A groundbreaking study by St Andrews University is the first in the world to identify a persistent and consistent geographical "cluster" of suicides.

Researchers examined the number of suicides among people aged 15 to 44 in parts of the east end of Glasgow.

The figures were taken from three-year periods around the time of the 1981, 1991 and 2001 censuses.

The 2001 statistics revealed 245 observed suicides in the area - 85 more than predicted.

These suicides represent 19 per cent of all Scottish non-institutional suicides during that time.

Researchers said the particularly high suicide rates could be explained by the high levels of deprivation in east Glasgow.

"Factors which are known to influence suicide, such as drug misuse, divorce and unemployment, are likely to be more common in such deprived areas," said Dr Daniel Exeter, the project researcher.

The university believes the results of the study could have significant policy implications.

The Scottish Executive-funded Choose Life initiative aims to reduce suicide rates by 20 per cent between 2003 and 2013.

But in its initial report, it identified only "people in isolated or rural communities" as deserving special priority.

Professor Paul Boyle, of St Andrews University, who supervised the project said: "The results of this new study suggest that east Glasgow is an important area to target if the aim of realising such a significant reduction in suicide is to be achieved."

The latest research builds on previous findings which discovered that people aged 15 to 44 in Scotland's poorest areas became more than four times as likely to commit suicide than those in its least deprived areas.

The research is published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Most watched News videos