This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33617635

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Mental health patient suicides reach 10-year high Suicide 'rise' in middle-aged male mental health patients - report
(about 11 hours later)
The number of suicides by UK mental health patients has reached a 10-year high, new research suggests. The number of male mental health patients in the UK who die by suicide has risen by almost a third in the last decade, new research suggests.
The University of Manchester report, which looked at the number of patient suicides from 2003 to 2013, found the highest number - 1,876 - was in 2013. The biggest increases were in men aged 45 to 54, where the number of deaths since 2006 rose by 73%, the University of Manchester report said.
The lowest number recorded in the past decade was 1,453 in 2006. Male deaths should be seen as "a suicide prevention priority", it said.
The report said this rise was mainly due to an increase in suicides in England, where patient numbers have also risen. The total number of suicides by UK mental health patients reached a 10-year high in 2013, the report said.
Men 'at risk' There were 1,876 patient suicides recorded that year - compared to 1,453 in 2006, the lowest number recorded in the decade, according to the report.
Professor Louis Appleby, director of the University of Manchester's National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness, said the research showed that within mental healthcare, middle-aged men aged 45 to 54 years old were particularly at risk. The number of male patient suicides in the UK has risen by 29% during the same period, the report suggested.
'No lonelier place'
Peter Warwick, 49, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, says he has tried to take his own life twice in the last eight years.
Asked how he would describe what happened, he said there was "no lonelier place" and that everything got "too much".
He told the Victoria Derbyshire programme: "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, he added: "You present yourself, but what happened to me, was [they said] '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."
A silence that kills men
'Proactive approach'
Professor Louis Appleby, director of the University of Manchester's National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness, said a number of factors were behind the increase.
"The problem is not simply that they don't seek help - they are already under mental health care - so we have to understand better the stresses men in this age group face," he said."The problem is not simply that they don't seek help - they are already under mental health care - so we have to understand better the stresses men in this age group face," he said.
The report said the number of suicides in male mental health patients had reached 1,239 per year, an increase of 29% since 2006. Factors including alcohol misuse, isolation, unemployment and debt add to the risk of suicide in male patients and need to be addressed, the report said.
The largest rise was seen in middle-aged men, 45 to 54 years old, where the increase since 2006 was 73%.
Researchers suggested that alcohol and economic factors such as job loss and debt may be contributing to the rise.
Mental health charity Mind said a more proactive approach to supporting men who were experiencing suicidal thoughts was needed to make sure they get the right help at the right time.Mental health charity Mind said a more proactive approach to supporting men who were experiencing suicidal thoughts was needed to make sure they get the right help at the right time.
The report - which looked at patient suicides from 2003 to 2013 - said the rise in the total number of suicides was mainly due to an increase in suicides in England, where patient numbers have also risen.
Its authors warned that deaths in mental health patients have become "substantially more common".
They suggested that patient suicides accounted for 30% of all suicides in 2013 - an increase of 3% from 10 years earlier.
Are you affected?
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? You can share your comments by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: