John McFall on importance of including people with disability

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After falling for years, suicide numbers in England are back to where they were 40 years ago. A number of characteristics influence the risk of such deaths, from gender and ethnicity to religious affiliation. However, the presence of a disability was found to be the most impactful of all – those reporting a physical or mental impairment tend to have significantly poorer well-being.

The number of deaths by suicide in England fell by a quarter between the early Eighties and 2007, but this decline has since reversed, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This has, however, remained in line with population growth – over the past two decades, there have been an average of around 10 suicides per 100,000 population.

The latest figures show 5,219 of such deaths in 2021 – below 2019’s pre-pandemic total of 5,316.

A new report from the ONS has now shed light on the heightened risk of suicide faced by different sociodemographic groups.

Men are far more likely to commit suicide than women, with an estimated rate of 19.75 per 100,000 to 6.45 respectively. This remained true across all age groups, with the risk peaking at 44 years old for both sexes. 

In terms of ethnicity, rates of suicide were highest among those belonging to multiple groups (16.57 per 100,000), followed by those identified as white (13.91). Instances were lowest for those recorded as being Arab (3.15).

Beyond unalterable characteristics, membership of a tight-knit community was found to have a strong hand in reducing suicide risk. For both men and women, the rate was lower for the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Christian and Sikh groups compared with the group who reported no religion.

The report also found that for serving members of the armed forces, the rate of suicide was significantly lower. For women in particular, it more than halved to just 2.6 per 100,000.

On the other hand, the presence of a disability was found to have a significant negative impact. Disability status in the 2011 Census was assessed by asking: “Are your day-to-day activities limited because of a health problem or disability which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months?”

Looking at what happened to those people who answered yes to that question over the next ten years yielded, the rate of suicide among the men was found to be 48.36 per 100,000 – almost 2.5 times higher than for the general population. For women, the increase was threefold to 18.94.

Jacqui Morrissey, assistant director of Policy, Practice & Influencing at the Samaritans charity told Express.co.uk: “These ONS figures are a stark reminder of just how many people can be affected by suicide, but some are at much higher risk than others, including people living with a disability. 

“The sad fact is suicide rates in England are as high now as they were 20 years ago and saving lives can’t wait any longer. It is vital that the Government’s promised suicide prevention strategy comes with proper funding in order to tackle the inequalities highlighted in these statistics – lives depend on it.”

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A previous study by the ONS, released in 2019, found that people suffering from a disability reported dramatically lower levels of happiness and life satisfaction. The proportion of disabled people feeling lonely “often or always” was almost four times that of non-disabled people – at 13.3 percent to 3.4 percent – with the greatest disparity recorded among young adults aged 16 to 24.

Those with a mental impairment as their main health problem reported the poorest well-being of all. Average anxiety ratings are also higher for disabled people – rated at 4.27 out of 10 compared with 2.66 out of 10 for non-disabled people.

Fazilet Hadi, head of policy at Disability Rights UK said: “The disproportionately high suicide rate amongst Disabled people is truly shocking. It is yet more evidence that Disabled people are the hardest hit by cuts in public services, reducing incomes and rising costs.

“We face inadequate health and social care services, punitive benefit processes, low levels of benefits and wages and the huge impact of the cost of living crisis. Energy, food, housing and care costs are spiralling out of control, leaving us cold, hungry, in debt and feeling abandoned.

“These figures should be a wake-up call to Government to address the deepening inequalities faced by Disabled people. We need ambitious transformational action and investment in services, to enable us to lead full and connected lives.”

The well-being of disabled people ought to be a primary and growing concern for those in Government. Census 2021 data show the number of disabled people in England increased from 9.4 million to 9.8 million over the decade – accounting for 17.3 percent of the population today.

There are a number of charities representing disabled people and their needs. Commenting on the Census findings, policy and campaigns officer for Disability Rights UK Dan White said: “We need politicians, policymakers and those commissioning services to look closely at the data, to ensure that the needs of Disabled people are met. Cost of living crisis or not, funding and services must address the needs of Disabled citizens.”

There are also many organisations dedicated to helping people through tough times, such as Rethink Mental Illness, Mind and the Samaritans – all of which offer guidance and support.

When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at [email protected], or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch. Anyone in an emergency situation should call 999 first.

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