The Latest Statistics on Suicide.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported 6,190 suicides in 2024, that is a rate of 11.4 suicides per 100,000 people. This is up by 10.4 suicide deaths per 100,000 people in 2023. Suicide continues to be the leading cause of death in young men in the UK, as reported by the London Government website back in July 2025. With 2024 male suicide rates registering at 17.6 per 100,000 people in England and Wales. For women it is 5.7 per 100,000 people (ONS).
Statistics such as these showcase the importance and need to talk about suicide and mental health.
MQ-Funded Research Projects into Suicide Prevention
One way we can prevent suicide is by reaching out to people in need. If you think someone is struggling, don't be afraid to reach out to them and ask if they are ok. Evidence shows that asking people if they are having thoughts of harming themselves, doesn't make it more likely that they will do. You can find resources and further advice in the links at the bottom of this article.
Another way we can prevent suicide is through research, so suicidal ideation is better understood and ultimately prevented.
Predicting Who is at Risk of Suicide
Identifying brain differences associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviours in young people is critical to understanding how these develop and how we can prevent them.
Because of donors like you, MQ was able to fund the HOPES project (Help Overcome and Predict the Emergency of Suicide) which performed analyses of the brain structures of young people with mood disorders and histories of suicide attempts. The experts observed that in a sample of 394 participants with mood disorders, there was a lower surface area of a prefrontal region called the frontal pole in young people who had a history of suicide attempt than those who hadn't.
The identification of brain structures that cause young people to have thoughts of suicide and attempt suicide, is crucial in understanding why risk for suicide develops, who will engage and transition to suicide behaviour, and in generating new strategies to detect youths at risk and prevent them from dying by suicide. Find out more.
Using School Data to Identifying At-risk Children
Nearly one in 10 young people self-harm or have suicidal thoughts. But until recently there was little understanding of the risk factors.
An MQ Funded study, run by Dr Rina Dutta from Kings College London, used data to identify the risk factors so that schools can provide better targeted support.
Rina’s study found that for 10% increase in absence from school there was a 7% increase in odds for self-harm. She also found that the higher a student’s attainment in school the higher the risk of self-harm.
There are several possible explanations for the above results, including that poor school attendance could result in social isolation which is known to increase the risk of self-harm. Higher academic attainment could be associated with greater pressure to perform, which in turn increases the risk of self-harm.
This study, which was only made possible by MQ’s generous donors, has provided a unique insight into how schools can provide more targeted prevention strategies. Find out more.
Preventing Repeated Suicide Attempts
We know that when someone attempts suicide and is admitted for hospital treatment, the risk remains high that they will try to take their own life again. But there is currently no standard, evidence-based help that staff can offer to reduce that risk. And many may find they experience delays in getting support from a counsellor, psychologist or psychiatrist too.
Professor Rory O’Connor and his team at the University of Glasgow conducted a study that investigated whether a programme of support developed for veterans in the US can be adapted to fill the urgent need in the UK.
Findings indicated that the SAFETEL study was both acceptable and feasible. Hospital staff reported that the intervention fitted and complemented existing services, and patients reported that they favoured the simplicity and person-centred approach of the safety planning intervention.
An Evidence-based Roadmap to Stop People from Being Gone Too Soon
In 2023, MQ published a ground-breaking paper in the Lancet Psychiatry which called for action on a global scale to put an end to the growing mortality rates of people with mental illness and distress.
The paper, written by 40 global experts, followed an extensive road mapping process of evidence reviews and consultation with mental health researchers, clinicians, policy experts and people with lived and living experience of mental illnesses and suicide.
The group mapped the range of factors which increase the risk of early mortality for people who are suffering from mental health conditions. These include adversities such as traumatic life events, unemployment, stigma and marginalisation, lack of meaningful societal relationships, and poor access to healthcare, education, housing, and income security.
The paper outlines 18 evidence-based recommendations for policy makers, business leaders and health workers, which you can read here.
Firearm Access and Risk of Death by Suicide
Dr Aideen Maguire and her team at Queen’s University Belfast are finding out if having access to a gun increases suicide risk. This has been proven in the US, but in the UK – where laws and culture differ considerably – no research has ever been done in this area.
Aideen’s innovative study will find out and has the potential to support vital new ways to prevent suicide. Find out more.
Donate and Together We Can Stop Suicide
Through research projects like these, we can better understand why some people experience suicidal ideation and how we can prevent this. It is only though this research that we can improve the support available, early intervention strategies and identification of at-risk individuals.
Through your donations it can help fund studies like these, which give the world a better understanding of mental illnesses and suicide.
When you donate, you’re providing help through research for anyone who is thinking about taking their own life, and that’s a monumental thing.
If you or someone you know is in distress and needs help, there is help available. Click here for a full list of possible places to turn to for help.
You can click here if you wish to make a one-time donation or become a regular donor.
More Resources
What is Suicide
Learn more about the actual condition, from what it is to signs and symptoms.
Suicide. A Reflection on How I Dealt with the Loss of My Dad
In this blog, Harry shares his experience with dealing with the loss of his father to suicide, when he was 12 years old.
OpenMind Podcast: Paul McGregor Episode
A podcast in which Paul McGregor, a mental health campaigner who was 18 when he lost his dad to suicide, and Professor Rory O’Connor, an MQ-funded researcher who’s been conducting research into suicide and self-harm for over 20 years, discuss how we can work together to prevent suicide.
