Barnet Council is joining forces with the Barnet Wellbeing Service to host a virtual event on World Suicide Prevention Day with the aim to reduce the number of people who take their own life in the borough.
World Suicide Prevention Day
The event will run from 10am to 1pm on Thursday and will include details of the services available for people affected by suicide and wellbeing activities. Residents will also be able to have their say on the development of a borough-wide suicide prevention strategy. You can book your place at the event, which will be hosted by Zoom, via Community Barnet or by phoning 0333 344 9088.
Councillor Caroline Stock, Chair of the Health & Wellbeing Board, said: “Suicide is a tragedy – for everyone that it affects. Statistics show that for each suicide, around 135 people suffer intense grief or are otherwise affected. For every suicide, 25 people make a suicide attempt and many more have serious thoughts of suicide.
“Suicide is the most common cause of death for people aged between 15 and 24, and it is the biggest killer of men under the age of 49. One suicide has been known to trigger a cluster of other suicides, within families and communities. This is a terrible thing to even think about, so we want to do our best to prevent that one suicide from happening in the first place.”
There were 67 suicides in Barnet between 2016 and 2018. Men have had a higher rate of suicide than women in the borough between 2001 and 2016. However, the rate in men has decreased significantly since 2016. According to the latest figures, the suicide rate in men has dropped from an average of 14.3 per 100,000 in 2016 to 10.9 per 100,000 in 2018. The suicide rate in women has also decreased slightly during that period.
Barnet has a comparatively low suicide rate – recording an average of 6.9 suicides per 100,000 people, compared to 8.1 for London and 9.6 for England as a whole.
Cllr Stock added: “It is good that the number of suicides in the Barnet borough are decreasing, but that is no reason to be complacent. We want to prevent suicides happening altogether. We will do our best to help everyone affected by suicide, and also anyone who is has suicidal thoughts. Suicide is a tragedy, and we will do everything we can to stop it before it happens, and to help families who are grieving as a result of it.
“We are also committed to supporting individuals who has been struggling to cope with the impact that COVID-19 has had on their lives. If you need help, please contact the Barnet Wellbeing Hub via 03333 449 088 or info@barnetwellbeing.org.uk.”
Learn more about the local and national support available to improve your mental health and wellbeing.