The Samaritans in Wales have produced a #Four Steps to Save Lives plan to explore how we can act effectively to reduce suicide in Wales
Step 1: Promote mental health and wellbeing and tackle inequality
Step 2: Act locally in Wales
Step 3: Tackle alcohol misuse to reduce suicide
Step 4: Help us to make Samaritans telephone service free
State of Mind took part in It’s a Man Thing event at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium and you can see the panel members including Ospreys players and State of Mind presenters Danny Sculthorpe and Jimmy Gittins
More than 6,000 people die by suicide every year in the UK.
Each year in Wales between 300 and 350 people die from suicide – about 3 times the number killed in road accidents.
In Wales, the suicide rate for men is at its highest since 1981. Male suicides in Wales rose by 23 per cent between 2012 and 2013.
Latest figures show that suicide is the leading cause of death for 20-34 year olds
While causes of suicide are complex, we do know that there are factors which increase the risk for specific groups and individuals. These factors include deprivation, being a man and alcohol misuse. Reducing suicide requires a wide range of agencies to work together nationally and in local communities, to give people the best chance to turn their lives around when they are struggling.
We need an approach which promotes mental health and wellbeing, timely support, public awareness and which reduces inequality. We have welcomed the second phase of the Welsh Government’s Suicide and Self Harm Prevention Strategy and Action Plan, Talk to me 2. The existence of such plans, and their effective implementation, is vital for efforts to reduce suicide. However, we need to act more strongly and consistently across Wales to tackle rising suicide rates. The work required to make this happen supports other policy ambitions to increase the resilience of communities, to increase public awareness and to improve access to mental health services.
Samaritans exists to reduce the number of people who die by suicide. That means Samaritans should be there when and in the way that we are needed, including making sure that our support is free to people who call us.
Together we can make a significant difference to the rate of suicide and find ways to respond to people in distress. We must work together, locally and nationally, to achieve real change in Wales.
Check out the website today www.samaritans.org/your-community/samaritans-work-wales and show your support on twitter using the hashtag #4steps