The rate of suicides in England & Wales has reached its highest level for 25 years according to new ONS data. I was struck by this north south divide in the data. Each suicide is a real person and the collapse of mental health care should concern us all: www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...
We're in a stealth fascist coutnry/world with a pandemic being ignoredwhile corproate interests plunder every damned thing and our govt are quislings. Perversely it makes me wnt to endure. But see below. bsky.app/profile/litt...
I hate that we have an "average" suicide rate described, like in some way we should have a flag when a rate goes too high or that there is some kind of acceptable level. Every death should be a flag.
The North/South mortality divide for any cause has been horrific for decades. This is from Chapter 2 of the Black Report (1980), taken from "Occupational Mortality 1970-72", HMSO (1978).
More Brexit, more suicide? Is there any research on correlation with right-wing attitudes?
I am not surprised by the lower than average suicide rate in the south east. We have the pretence of mental health care. It only took me 8 months to get an ADHD diagnosis in 2021. Depression health care is still abysmal.
"the collapse of mental health care". Where would mental health professionals prefer to work, in London or some deprived area in the North and is the situation any different in other areas for example in teaching?
It is indeed shocking. I expect data is available at a smaller geographic level (eg by LA or ICS) and there's likely to be a strong association with levels of deprivation - it's not just about the state of mental health services but about economic and social factors too.
rates of long covid also higher in the North
This does not surprise me in the slightest. My personal experience of mental health care in Greater Manchester has been of endless waiting lists, staff unable to give you the care they believe you need, and technology constantly breaking down.