Health News - Fears suicide attempts by women are being ignored - Report concludes more follow-up care is needed for ‘at risk’ group

Published: 10 March, 2011
by TOM FOOT

AN investigation into high levels of suicide among women in Camden has revealed how cries for help from vulnerable people are routinely overlooked.

The Focus on Female Suicides in Camden report found that the majority of “successful” suicide cases were already known by authorities as having tried to take their own life before at least once.

Experts attending  Camden Council’s health scrutiny committee at the Town Hall on Thursday night admitted more “follow-up” work was needed and said there was a problem with missing medical notes.

Camden consultant clinical psychologist Judy Leibowitz said: “What has come out of this report is that if you had made one attempt at suicide, your risk is significantly higher. We need to look at what is done to people who have made a previous attempt. We need to think of that as an ‘at risk’ group. We need to look much more closely at the follow-up when they’ve made a suicide attempt.”

She added: “It is also maybe true that women are more likely to identify themselves, while men present their problems in a different way.”

The report was created using the medical notes of 22 women from Camden who committed suicide between 2006 and 2009. Fifteen of them, or 68 per cent, had previously attempted suicide. From those 15, 10 had attempted suicide more than once. Three cases had terminal cancer and one had chronic kidney disease and Huntingdon’s chorea. Six had visited their GP in the fortnight before their death.

Many were enduring domestic abuse, bereavement and financial problems.

Councillor Paul Braithwaite asked Ms Leibowitz: “A high proportion of these probably present themselves in A&E. Are you confident the linkage with GPs is there?”

She replied: “I would guess that if someone turns up at A&E having taken an overdose the GP would be informed. But how proactive everyone is in following that up, I’m not quite sure.”

The report found that the common method for women was overdose, while men predominantly chose “violent means” such as hanging, shooting or jumping from a high building.

Camden and Islington medical director Sylvia Tang said: “In my experience, most overdoses are not on prescription drugs, they are on paracetamol, aspirin, or  things people find in their cupboards, from relatives. It is very rarely on their own medications.”

Based on figures collected over three years, Camden has the highest suicide rate in London. Neighbouring borough Islington has the highest rate over the last year.

The meeting’s chairman Cllr John Bryant said: “The unique thing about Camden is the women over 45 are the higher risk group. For men it was under 25. Those were the two oddball statistics. What we have never tackled is why it is the older women’s group?

He added: “What was surprising about this report was the strange correlation of previous attempts. That is something we can work with and for the next piece of work people can do.”