APPG on Suicide and Self-harm Prevention: Young people and suicide

Samaritans provides the Secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Suicide and Self-harm Prevention, which is made up of MPs and Members of the House of Lords. The APPG on Suicide and Self-harm Prevention aims to raise awareness within Parliament and encourage discussion and debate of all issues surrounding suicide and self-harm prevention.

The APPG on Suicide and Self-harm Prevention has launched a mini-inquiry into young people and suicide. They’d like to hear from people aged 18-25 with lived experience and people impacted by the suicide of a young person via an anonymous survey.

According to the ONS (2018), suicide is the biggest killer of young people aged 16-24. In 2021, 611 deaths by suicide were registered for people aged 15-24 in England and Wales. Suicide rates among young people are increasing. ONS data show that females aged 24 and under have seen the largest increase in suicide rates since 1981.

This inquiry will focus on the experiences of young people from age 18 to 25, given the rising rates of suicide among this group, and seek to understand what should be done to prevent young suicides. The inquiry will explore risk factors and help-seeking experienced by young people with lived experience of suicidal thoughts, feelings and attempts.

The APPG will gather evidence through an anonymous survey, as well as a short series of evidence sessions with people with lived experience, organisations, academics and practitioners.

The survey is aimed at:

• Young people ages 18-25 with lived experience of suicidal thoughts, feelings and/or attempt(s)
• People aged over 18 who have been impacted by the suicide of a young person

The deadline for filling in the survey is 18th November 2023. You can take the survey here.