SUICIDE rates are higher in Warwick district than anywhere else in the county.
Across Warwickshire 175 people took their lives’ in the two years to 2015. A total of 54 lived in Warwick district, with most being men.
And the number of deaths in south Warwickshire in recent years was more than north Warwickshire and Rugby areas put together.
Warwickshire County Council say the main causes included debt, mental health issues, drug and alcohol misuse, employment, suffering a traumatic experience or relationship problems.
To try and combat the high number of deaths, the council has launched a Suicide Prevention Strategy with a bid to reduce the number.
Coun Les Caborn, spokesman for the strategy, said: “It is a tragic fact that suicide kills more young men of working age than road accidents and illness combined.
“We know there are ways these deaths can be prevented by working with mental health services, commissioning groups, and more broadly in community based approaches, and this strategy identifies seven priorities to enable us to do this. It also reflects the ‘zero suicide approach’ whereby every death by suicide is considered potentially preventable and we will work towards prevention with this aspiration in mind.”
To try and deal with the high number the strategy focuses on priorities which include reducing stigma, encouraging help-seeking and improving data.
They will also aim to reduce access to opiates, which are the most common kind of drug taken by people with mental illness who commit suicide. More than half of the drugs are prescribed.
Coun Caborn said he hoped implementing the strategy will stop people taking their own lives.
He added: “The strategy has been endorsed by key health and wellbeing partners across the county.
“Please join all of us at Warwickshire County Council in embracing this strategy and the zero suicides approach as we aim to reduce the terrible impact that deaths by suicide have in our community.”
Visit warwickshire.gov.uk/mentalhealth or samaritans.org for support.
