Suicide by people in contact with drug and alcohol services
The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (NCISH) has published a report on suicide by people in contact with drug and alcohol services in England and Wales, based on deaths registered between 1 October 2021 and 30 September 2022. The report found that 428 people died by suicide within 12 months of contact with drug and alcohol services during the study period, 8% of all suicide deaths. Almost half of people who died by suicide were unemployed at the time of death and over a third lived in the 20% most deprived areas.
Other key findings include:
- In almost half of the people who died, the primary substance for which they were seeking help was alcohol.
- The majority (82%) of people in contact with drug and alcohol services who died by suicide had received psychosocial interventions.
- Just under a third (30%) had contact with mental health services in the previous 12 months.
The report contains a number of clinical messages including a statement that there is scope for continuing linkage of mortality data and national drug and alcohol treatment data to monitor trends in suicide by people in contact with drug and alcohol services, identify antecedents, and inform suicide prevention initiatives.
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