News Release - Drink and drugs fuel Scottish suicide and homicide rates 16 Jun 2008
Alcohol and drug misuse mean Scots are almost twice as likely to kill or take their own life compared with people living in England and Wales, research published today (Monday, June 16) reveals.
The findings by The University of Manchester's National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness (NCI) also show that the number of mental health patients committing homicide or suicide was proportionately much higher in Scotland.
The 'Lessons for Mental Health Care in Scotland' report, commissioned by the Scottish Government, blames these higher death rates north of the border on alcohol and drug consumption, both in the general population and among mental health patients.
The NCI examined all suicides and homicides in the general population in Scotland, as well as those committed by people who had sought help from mental health services, and compared them to its findings for England and Wales.
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