Suicide the leading cause of death among young Scots

Suicide was the leading cause of death among children and young adults in Scotland from 2011 to 2020, a new report shows.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) found more than a quarter (25.7%) of deaths of those aged five to 24 were as a result of probable suicide.

This was more than the number of young people dying from road accidents and accidental poisonings combined.

However, the rate for young people is lower than those aged 25 and over.

Overall, the average suicide rate among the younger age group was 6.6 deaths per 100,000.

This was significantly lower than the average suicide rate of 17.5 deaths per 100,000 people among those aged 25 and over.

The Suicide Among Young People in Scotland report, said the suicide rate among five to 24-year-olds dipped in the first half of the 10-year period from 8.1 per 100,000 people in 2011 to a low of 4.4 per 100,000 people in 2015. It then rose to a high of 9.2 per 100,000 people in 2019.

The PHS report was complied using figures from the Scottish Suicide Information Database (ScotSID).

Prof Steve Platt, chair of the ScotSID steering group and emeritus professor of health policy research at the University of Edinburgh, said: "Thankfully, suicide is far less common in those aged five to 24 than among older adults.

"Nevertheless, during the period covered by the report, there were 820 young people resident in Scotland who died by suicide. That's an average of nearly seven each month, considerably more than the number of young people dying by road accidents.

"Through ScotSID we are learning more about the circumstances and characteristics of suicide deaths. This knowledge will help us to develop more effective preventative action in future."

The report revealed that the least well-off Scots were twice as likely as their more affluent counterparts to take their own lives.

In 2020, the rate of probable suicide among those living in the most affluent areas was 5.1 per 100,000, compared with 12.4 for those in the poorest areas.

The figures also highlighted a sharp disparity between suicide rates in young men and young women, with a rate of 10.8 per 100,000 for males compared with 3.8 for females.

Mental Health Minister Kevin Stewart described every suicide as a "tragedy", adding: "Suicide prevention is a key priority for the Scottish government and we are working to reduce the rate of suicide in Scotland and are ensuring that those affected by suicide have access to the right support."