Women’s Suicide Prevention

Tragically, each year, more than 250,000 women worldwide die by suicide, and women are twice as likely as men to try to take take their own lives. And these numbers are rising.

In England and Wales female suicide rates reached a 30-year high in 2023, according to official statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The suicide rate for females in England and Wales increased to 5.7 deaths per 100,000 in 2023, up from 5.4 deaths per 100,000 in 2022 – this is the highest rate for females since 1994.

Provisional data for 2024 indicate that this concerning pattern is persisting. Between January and March, the rate remained at 5.7 per 100,000, and from April to June, it was 5.5 per 100,000. So far, 732 female deaths by suicide have been recorded this year, pointing towards another potential record high.

This is a growing concern and there’s now a dedicated site to support this. Grassroots Suicide Prevention has launched the Women’s Suicide Prevention Hub to address specific risk factors for women, raise awareness about available support services, and share stories of hope.

https://prevent-suicide.org.uk/womens-suicide-prevention-hub/

Women are increasingly struggling with mental health and suicidal thoughts, and the WHO has reported that depression and anxiety affect more women than men.

Along with societal pressures women may face unique challenges, including menopause and perimenopause, domestic violence and abuse, perinatal and postpartum issues, childhood abuse, sexual violence, eating disorders, body image concerns and premenstrual syndromes. The hub offers access to helpful resources, support networks, and organisations that provide specific advice and support for these challenges.

We’ve updated our resources to include this link on our site so any woman (and by this we mean any self-identifying woman), or anyone seeking more information, training and assistance in these areas can easily access it.

There is always hope and recovery is possible.