Self-harm link to suicide highlighted

Two studies into suicide and self-harm have raised issues about the enforcement of laws on the sale of paracetamol and of patients “escaping” between ambulances and emergency departments.

The Suicide Support and Information System pilot ran from Sep 2008 to Apr 2011. It investigated the backgrounds of 178 suicides and 12 open verdict cases.

It found: 38.1% of those who died were unemployed; 32.8% worked in construction; 45% had a history of self-harm and of those, 52% had self-harmed in the week prior to death.