Volunteer news and views Suicide by children and young people By Mike Barber, London volunteer I would like to bring to your attention a research article: Suicide by children and young people. National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness (NCISH). Manchester: University of Manchester, 2017. The aim of the study was to find “common themes in the lives of young people who die by suicide”. The researchers collected evidence on 922 suicides by under 25-year-olds during 2014 and 2015. This means that this research is independent of any Covid-19 related issues.
The key findings were that: · There is rarely one single cause for suicide in young people, there is a combination of factors both previous and current · Most children come through the stresses which can cause suicide without serious harm · Family factors are very important and management of these is crucial in suicide prevention · Other factors include, mental or physical illness, childhood abuse, bullying, health issues, social isolation, alcohol or drug misuse
There should be greater emphasis placed on support for mental health in schools, colleges and universities. Specifically, there should be more support for those bereaved, especially by suicide, more support for looked after children and for LGBT [sic] young people. Specific action is needed to support those bereaved, especially by suicide. There should be greater emphasis placed on support for mental health in schools, colleges and universities. There is too much information about suicide methods on the internet and there should be further efforts to have this removed. There should be greater collaboration between front line services, including risk management and improvement of access.
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