Suicides Among Young People in the UK Show Worrying Rise Says the ONS.

Figures produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a rise in the number of people in the UK committing suicide. The increase has been particularly significant among young people with self-harm and exposure to harmful content online cited as contributing factors.

The figures are based on data from 2018 and show that 6507 people committed suicide last year, a significant rise on 2017. The majority (4093) involved males with the 45-49 age group most affected.

Suicides of people under the age of 25 rose to their highest level since 2012 with females aged between 10 and 24 most affected, with the rate rising by 83%, suicides among males of the same age also rose by 25% based of 2017 figures. In a blog post written for the ONS Ben Windsor-Shepherd, Head of Lifestyle and Risk Factor Analysis says the figures show that 'something has changed for young people'.

He adds that the statistics will be 'painful and personal for many people, behind every statistic is an individual, a family and a community devastated by their loss.

This latest demonstration of a growing alienation felt by young people in the UK follows on from the findings of a survey conducted for the Princes Trust in February, in which a significant proportion of the 2162 respondents said they did not feel life was worth living.

Speaking to the Guardian Nick Stace, UK chief executive of the Princes Trust said that young people were 'critical to the success of this country', but that they would only attain their full potential if they believed in themselves.

He added that it was 'a moral and economic imperative that employers, government and charities put the needs of young people centre stage'.

Suicide can be caused by a wide range of factors including stress, adverse past experiences and traumatic life events. The ONS statistics suggest that self-harm, levels of which among young people have risen by 13% since 2014 and harmful online experiences such as cyber-bullying may be contributing factors.

Ben Windsor-Shepherd 'while we don't know enough about why rates are increasing, there are some new challenges that may provide an explanation'.

Responding to the ONS figures Ann John, an advisor on suicide to the Welsh government said they were 'a concern and something we need to understand '.

Tom Madders, campaign director at Young Minds told the Independent they 'rang alarm bells,' he called for a strategy from government to address ' the factors fueling the crisis in young people's mental health '.

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