Access to websites and social media platforms that tell people how to kill themselves should be restricted, according to MPs, who are warning that the government is not doing enough to bring down the “unacceptable” suicide rate in the UK.
The House of Commons health select committee, chaired by the Conservative MP Dr Sarah Wollaston, is calling on ministers on Monday to “work with internet providers and social media platforms to consider what changes can be made to restrict access to sites which encourage self harm or give detailed advice on suicide methods”.
They said they had taken evidence from a recent study by the University of Bristol that exposure to suicide content, including reading about others’ attempts, had served to validate or justify suicide as an acceptable course of action.
Detailed information about methods of suicide and the relative painfulness of different techniques is available instantly through search engines including Google. According to Suicide.org, a suicide prevention charity, “pro-suicide websites, groups, and bulletin-boards continue to expand.”
Earlier this year, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children revealed that its Childline service is being contacted by record numbers of children and young people who are struggling with suicidal thoughts and feelings.
The call for action came as the government prepares to renew its suicide prevention strategy. “4,820 people are recorded as having died by suicide in England last year, but the true figure is likely to be higher,” said Wollaston. “Suicide is preventable and much more can and should be done to support those at risk.”
The suicide rate in 2013 was the highest it has been since 2001, and the 2014 and 2015 rates were only marginally lower. Suicide is highest among men, who account for three-quarters of all such deaths, and it remains the biggest killer of men aged under 49. Rates among women are rising too. However, rates have been on an overall downward trend since 1981 everywhere in the UK apart from Northern Ireland, where they spiked in 2005 and 2006 and remain the highest anywhere in the UK.
The select committee is urging the government to increase support for public mental health and early intervention services. It found that around a third of people who end their lives by suicide are in contact with their GP before their death, but are not receiving specialist mental healthcare. Another third are in the care of specialist mental health services.
“GPs need better training in suicide risk,” the report states. “All patients being discharged from inpatient care should receive follow-up support within three days of discharge rather than the current standard of seven days.”
A Department of Health spokesperson said it recognises that “every death by suicide is a tragedy and devastating for families, friends and communities”. “We are investing almost £1bn in providing mental health support in A&E and home-based crisis care — and are currently updating our suicide prevention strategy, which we are confident will address many of the issues raised by the committee,” they said.
NHS England has set a goal to reduce suicides by 10% by 2020.
A spokesman for the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS trusts, said: “Developing mental health services is essential, but money hasn’t come as quickly as promised, and this is holding-up progress. For too long we have seen year-on-year increases in prison suicide and there are worrying trends around children’s mental health, too, with insufficient investment to improve their care.”
The health select committee also called for those bereaved by suicide to receive better primary and secondary care, and said media guidelines on the reporting of suicide were being widely ignored and that greater attention should be paid to breaches of the rules. The MPs claimed that too many newspapers and broadcasters use the term “commit suicide”, which they said “reinforces stigmatising attitudes from when suicide was a criminal offence”.
In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found here.
MPs urge government to do more to combat "unacceptable" UK suicide rates
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