What Happened in the 80's: Suicide Data Between 1981-2011

Written by Dr Luke Sullivan and Nigel Sanderson

We looked at suicide data from UK regions between 1981 and 2011 and compared the rates for men and women. When we looked at the rates of suicide for women during this period we noticed there had been a significant overall drop in the suicide rates. The most striking period was between 1981 and 1992 during which the rates fell at a greater rate than at any other point. You can clearly see this  below .

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Female Suicide rates by UK region: 1981 - 2011

Compare this to the rates of suicide in men across the same period.  

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Male Suicide rates by UK region: 1981 - 2011

Throughout the 80's and into the early nineties the rates of suicide in men rose and reached their national peak between 1988 and 1991. There has since been an overall steady and significant decrease in the number of male suicides nationally. However, not all regions of the UK have seen a decrease in male suicide rates and there is much more regional variation.

The differences described have had a major impact on the male to female suicide ratio.

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Male / Female Suicide ratio by UK region: 1981 - 2011

Since 1981 the male to female suicide rate has nearly doubled and at present men are three times more likely to take their own lives. In 1981 the ratio was 1.9 which has since increased to 3.4. In 1998 the ratio reached its peak of 3.5, whilst the 30 year average is 2.9. At no point during the past 30 years have the rates of suicide been higher for women than they have been for men

Somethings profound happened in the 1980 for women which significantly effected the rates of suicide observed. We been speaking with different people to help us understand what happened. We'd like to hear your thought so please feel free to comment below.

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