The number of suicides in the Liverpool and Wirral area has skyrocketed in the past three years, and NHS experts say Covid-19 could be partially to blame.
The latest annual report from the Liverpool and Wirral Coroner Area showed the number of recorded suicides has more than doubled since 2019, when 36 suicide conclusions were handed down between January and December (4.1% of all inquests).
In 2020, this number rose dramatically to 80 out of 821 hearings (9.7%), and remained at a similar level the following year, with 77 suicide conclusions out of 781 (9.8%).
READ MORE: Schoolgirl killed on her way to buy sweets in tragedy which tore family apart
This reflected a general rise in the number of suicides nationwide. According to the Office of National Statistics, suicide was the third most common conclusion for all inquests held in England and Wales in 2021 - 4,820 out of 32,322 (15%).
This marked an 8% increase compared to 2020, taking numbers to the highest level since 1995. The increase was higher in females (16% compared to 2020) than males (5%).
A Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: “We are aware of an increase in suicide rates since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent Government lockdowns, which has been reflected across the country.
“Mersey Care were one of the first mental health trusts in the country to publicly commit to a zero suicide policy for those in our care and regard the loss of one person to suicide as one too many.
“The extraordinary impact of the pandemic and the lockdowns caused a surge in mental health demand which public health research believes has many contributory factors, including isolation due to shielding, deteriorating health and difficulty accessing family and friends."
Inquests - court hearings to determine the circumstances of someone's death - are held whenever there is reasonable cause to suspect that the death was due to anything other than natural causes, or if the deceased was in the care or custody of the state.
In Liverpool and Wirral, the number of recorded drug and alcohol-related deaths also rose in 2020 to 111 (13.5%), from 65 in 2019 (7.5%). In 2021, the number had fallen to 80 (10.2%).
The area also saw an increase in recorded deaths by road traffic collision, from five in 2019 to 20 in 2021.
The number of people who died as a result of industrial disease fell from 58 to 42. The number of natural causes conclusions also fell from 302 to 173.
Mersey Care said the increase in suicides specifically could be partially due to a change in the coroner’s criteria for reporting suicides in February 2019, which allows such deaths to be determined on the balance of probabilities rather than beyond reasonable doubt.
They said: “All these factors contributed to the rise in mental health demand and suicide rates and prompted Mersey Care to introduce a package of measures to help serve our population, including bringing forward the introduction of a crisis helplines across
Liverpool, Sefton, Halton, St Helens, Warrington, and Knowsley and we have received 94,341 calls since they were first launched in April 2020.
“Mersey Care has also promoted the Zero Suicide Alliance awareness training for workplaces, which gives people the skills to approach those with suicidal thinking, they have entered in partnership with Public Health Liverpool to identify key areas within the city and refreshed our own services to focus on urgent care services, suicide specific interventions and safer transitions in and out of services.”
You can find out about mental health support services near you on the NHS website. The Samaritans helpline is avilable 24/7 on 116123.
READ NEXT:
Man buys nine separate tickets for one train journey and saves £360
First picture of police officer accused of 'abusing position for sexual purposes'
Remorseless 'predator' saw teenager heading home from night out as 'easy target'
Floral tributes for man, 36, who died after falling from bridge
Find the coins hidden on the ECHO website for the chance to win a £200 voucher
