Around 4,500 people take their own lives each year in England. Consequently, suicide remains the second leading cause of death globally for young people aged between 15 and 19.
In light of these figures, on World Mental Health Day, the Prime Minister appointed a suicide prevention Minister in the hope of tackling the stigma surrounding suicide. Mrs Doyle-Price, who has been an MP since 2010, will now become the Minister for mental health, inequalities and suicide prevention. Mrs Doyle-Price will work with both the national and local government, experts in suicide and self-harm prevention, charities, clinicians and those personally affected by suicide. Her role will prioritise ensuring that each local area in England has effective plans to stop unnecessary deaths.
Alongside the announcement, the PM pledged £1.8m to the Samaritans, a 24hour free helpline service, which will allow the charity to continue providing its free helpline for the next four years. The government has also promised more support in schools by introducing new mental health support teams which will help in assisting students’ mental health and well-being. In an attempt to measure the success and progress of these new initiatives, from 2019, a ‘State of the Nation’ report will be released. This new document will be published on every World Mental Health Day going forward to highlight the trends and issues in young people’s mental well-being.
Earlier this year, CALM, a charity dedicated to preventing male suicide, launched a petition calling for a suicide prevention minister. The petition had gathered almost 400,000 signatures. CALM responded to the announcement on Twitter, writing: “Today, we win.”
However, others have criticised the government’s record on mental health. Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of mental health charity SANE, said there had not been enough improvements to services since Mrs May pledged to tackle the issue two years ago. Similar claims have also been made by the opposition Labour Party. “Mental health services are still being underfunded by the Conservative government,” said Barbara Keeley, Labour’s mental health spokeswoman.
In appointing a suicide prevention Minister and ensuring students are provided with mental health support in schools, the government aims to improve mental health services and consequently reduce the number of suicide deaths.