‘Damning’: suicide rates in Dundee higher than any other Scottish city

‘Damning’: suicide rates in Dundee higher than any other Scottish city

Suicide rates in Dundee are higher than any other city council area in Scotland, according to a new report.

The Scottish Suicide Information Database also shows that men accounted for three-quarters of suicides across Tayside in the last seven years.

According to the report, there were 164 deaths caused by suicide in Dundee with an average of 16.7 per 100,000 population between 2011 and 2017.

Angus along with Perth and Kinross Councils recorded 98 and 126 suicides respectively.

For Tayside as a whole, 388 suicides were recorded with an average per 100,000 population of 14.1.

Men were more likely to take their own lives, with the rates across Scotland highest among those aged 35-54 and in deprived areas.

Nearly three-quarters of those who died had contact with healthcare services in the year before their death.

An inquiry is currently under way into NHS Tayside’s mental health services after a number of concerns surrounding the Carseview Centre.

Phil Welsh, whose 28-year-old son Lee took his own life last year, said the latest statistics were “damning”.

He said: “It’s clear that there’s a situation here that isn’t working.

“I think the fact there is an inquiry shows there’s something amiss.

“Mental health is a discussion point now but it’s all well talking, we need support for people afterwards and that is why we badly need a crisis centre.”

A spokeswoman from NHS Health Scotland said: “National suicide prevention programmes need to incorporate a comprehensive public health approach which seeks to reduce stigma, improve mental wellbeing in the whole population and address the underlying causes of poor mental health.”

 

Link to Evening Telegraph article here