The study funded by NHS England sought to gain new insight into suicide among young people by examining the characteristics and contributing factors of 199 child deaths that were either reported or reviewed between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020 in England. 

The deaths of 108 young people were identified as highly or moderately likely to have been by suicide, with further analyses showing that it is not limited to certain groups; rates of suicide were shown to be similar across all areas and regions in England, including urban and rural environments, and across deprived and affluent neighbourhoods. 

Many of the young people whose deaths were reviewed had endured difficult circumstances prior to their passing. These included 62 per cent had suffered a significant personal loss such as a bereavement or the breakdown of a close relationship, and almost a quarter (23 per cent) had experienced bullying.

The report includes a number of recommendations that could help prevent suicide, including ensuring that all frontline staff have suicide prevention training and that there is continued roll out of children and young people’s mental health services across community settings including schools, local authorities and the criminal justice system.

Read the full University of Bristol press release.