About suicide prevention
Suicide prevention helps save lives by providing support, resources and education because every death by suicide is preventable.
When someone dies by suicide, it often happens because of many challenging things happening all at once, like difficult situations, feelings of sadness or helplessness.
This loss can have a big and lasting impact on families, friends and the entire community.
Why suicide prevention is an area of Public Health focus
Suicide affects many people across the whole country, and there are ways we can work together to prevent it.
In England, over 100 people die by suicide each week; a total of 5656 deaths by suicide in 2023.
“Suicide and injury or poisoning of undetermined intent” was the leading cause of death for both males and females aged 20 to 34 years in the UK between 2001 and 2018 .
People who lose someone to suicide are 65 percent more likely to attempt it themselves compared to those who lose someone to natural causes .
Why suicide prevention is an area of focus in Havering
In Havering, suicide prevention is important because every life lost has a large impact across the community.
Our goal is to create a community where people know where suicide is not seen as a solution, because people know where to go for help, and how to help one another.
On average, one Havering resident dies by suicide every three weeks.
Havering has a higher rate of suicide than the London average (2020 to 2022 data).
The risk and rate of suicide varies across different groups of people, creating an inequality we are working to reduce.
Factors like age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion or faith, maternity, deprivation and stigma (negative attitude of society) of mental ill-health all play a role in the risk of death by suicide.
What we doing in Havering
The Havering All-Age Suicide Prevention Strategy (2025-2030) aims to reduce the number of people who die by suicide in the future through targeted activities focusing on:
- identifying those at increased risk and offering effective, evidence-based interventions for Havering’s population
- prevention activities to spread knowledge and reduce stigma (negative attitudes) of mental ill-health and suicide
- support at both individual and population levels, including those at risk of suicide and those whose loved ones were victims of suicide
How you can make a change
Be part of the change
Break down stigma (negative attitudes) associated with suicide. Think about your own thought processes and understanding.
Suicide can be prevented. It is not true that people will always find a way to take their own life if they want to.
Often, a person’s desire to end their life is momentary and people who think about suicide share their feelings with someone else before it happens.
Asking someone if they are suicidal will not make them more likely to try to take their own life.
By starting the conversation, you give them a chance to talk about it, which can help them feel heard and supported.
Words matter
Use phrases like “died by/death by suicide” or “lost their life to suicide”, instead of saying “commit/committed suicide” because such language makes it sounds like a sin or crime.
Use terms like “died by suicide/survived a suicide attempt” or “fatal/non-fatal suicide attempt”, instead of “successful/unsuccessful” or “completed/failed” which can make the situation seem like an accomplishment or failure.
Four simple steps for prevention
- Recognise the signs of poor mental health
- Ask direct questions
- Listen with empathy
- Help guide them to helpful services
Advice to Professionals affected by suicide
In addition to the advice above:
- recognise that the death of a patient or service user by suicide can affect the personal and professional life of those who have worked with the deceased; affecting recruitment, retention, quality of service provided
- ensure that support is available for you and your staff through the employer or other support services after a suicide (postvention)
Strategies and guidance
- Havering All-Age Suicide Prevention Strategy 2025-2030, Working Together to Save Lives
- Havering All-Age Suicide Prevention Strategy 2025-2030 (Easy-read version)
- Havering All-Age Suicide Prevention Strategy Consultation Report
- Havering Suicide Prevention Needs Assessment
- Suicide prevention strategy for England: 2023 to 2028 - GOV.UK
- Samaritans local and national suicide prevention strategies – Nation-wide view of suicide prevention planning within local authorities in England.
- Samaritans social media guidance – Guide for journalists and other organisations to sensitively cover suicide.
- PAPYRUS toolkit for schools – Guide for schools on what to do after a suicide and provides guidance to develop a school suicide prevention strategy.
- Social media agreement summary – Key tips for posting about mental health online.
- Suicide Postvention in the Workplace Supporting Organisations and Employees – Guide for postvention in the workplace.
To join the Lived Experience Advisory Group or to be added to the Havering Suicide Prevention Stakeholder List for Havering suicide prevention related updates, please email publichealth@havering.gov.uk.