SAMARITANS FACES BACKLASH OVER NEW REPORT BREAKING DOWN THE 'ECONOMIC COST' OF SUICIDE IN THE UK AS SOME ACCUSE CHARITY OF 'PUTTING A PRICE ON HUMAN LIFE' - BUT OTHERS INSIST IT'S 'REALITY'

Charity was criticised by some on X for report on economic cost of suicide
Others insisted its essential to secure government funding to help more people

The Samaritans is facing backlash after releasing a new report breaking down the 'economic cost' of suicide in the UK.

The charity, which provides support to people in mental health crises, published the 16-page report this month - the first figures on the 'cost' of suicide in more than a decade.

The report highlighted that 6,588 deaths by suicide were recorded in the UK in 2022 at a total cost of £9.58billion, and an average of £1.46million each.

The 'cost' figure was measured by a combination of factors including a loss of employment productivity, and the cost of suicide health care, self-harm health care, emergency services, and legal proceedings such as inquests.

It included graphics and an illustrative map, stating £7.7billion of this came from England, £1.1billion from Scotland, £500million in Wales and £300million in Northern Ireland.

The Samaritans' website prefaced the report by saying the figures demonstrate 'why suicide prevention is a worthwhile investment'.

It added: 'Governments have a specific and crucial role to play in preventing suicide and the society-wide costs caused by suicide, and it's important that money, resources and activities are in place to target suicide prevention.'

However, the report has been met with mixed reactions on social media - with some objecting to the association of suicide with financial cost.

One took to X, formerly Twitter, to write: 'Jesus christ, this knocked the breath right out of me, and this is from *the Samaritans*??' - a response that has now racked up 5,200 likes.

Posting a table from the report, they added: 'I feel ill,' while another said: 'I'm disgusted.'

And a fourth said: 'They've literally put a price on human life and people are saying don't get mad.'

But others noted that the report had been issued with the aim to increase government funding.

'I think it's important in the context of funding mental health services.' one wrote.

'What is wrong with highlighting this? It's the reality of a horrid situation';

'This is sad but it's the same for every issue that shouldn't be a matter of cost - public health, poverty, the environment. Unless you can put a £ sign next to it, you won't get public funding.'

The report's research was conducted with Professor David McDaid, an associate professorial research fellow at the London School of Economics.

The report also broke down the 'costs' by age: £2.85million for someone aged 10-14, £1.96million for a woman aged 25-29, and £1.7million for a man aged 30-34.

It recorded a loss in 'employment productivity' at £3.1billion, referring to the 'years of employment' lost by somebody taking their own life.

The report explained: 'This is because a person who dies at a younger age loses more years of their life, which could have been spent in paid and unpaid work (such as volunteering) and contributing to the economy.'

The 'cost' figure was measured by a combination of factors including a loss of employment productivity, intangible costs, suicide health care costs, self-harm health care costs, emergency services costs, and legal costs (such as inquests).

The data was based on suicides registered in the UK in 2022, while productivity costs were calculated using ONS statistics on wage rates and immediate costs were based on NHS data and call-outs for emergency services.

Almost half (45 per cent) of costs were put down to 'intangible costs', explained as 'the value that society places on immediate unexpected loss of life' which the organisation based on the HM Treasury's value of a year of full-quality life.

It follows the government's Spring Budget, which did not extend suicide prevention funding across England after it is due to end in April.

After the Budget was published on March 6, the Samaritans tweeted: 'The Government has chosen to waste another opportunity to save lives today.

'Local suicide prevention funding hasn’t been renewed like we hoped it would, meaning funding that so many communities in England depend on will completely run out at the end of this month #Budget2024.'

Jacqui Morrissey, Samaritans Assistant Director of Policy, Practice & Influencing, said: 'Statistics can never convey the human cost of suicide, or how it feels to struggle with suicidal feelings or lose someone to suicide.

'Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy that devastates families, friends and communities. While the true impact of suicide cannot be measured, we know that suicide can be prevented.

'The purpose of the report is not to reduce lives lost to an economic analysis or a number, but to demonstrate the vital need for public investment in suicide prevention at a time when the Government has failed to renew local suicide prevention funding, despite rates being as high as they were 20 years ago.'

You can contact Samaritans for free on 116 123, email them at [email protected], or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.

2024-03-28T17:59:36Z dg43tfdfdgfd