It starts with societal mental health.
In conjunction with the general shift towards more urban living in the UK, throughout the last few decades we have also seen a general increase in the diagnosis of Common Mental Disorders (CMD).
Approximately 450 million people across the globe reported currently experiencing mental difficulties.
(WHO, 2021)
* leading cause of death recorded as ‘intentional self-harm and events of undetermined intent’ (Patel, 2018)
When exploring the data above in relation to regional differences, it becomes apparent that suicide rates are higher for individuals living in urban as opposed to rural spaces. For example:
Hampshire (a rural county) has an average rate of 7.9 per 100,000, yet this rises to 13.3 per 100,000 and 13.0 per 100,000 in the urban regions of Southampton and Portsmouth respectively.
Higher than average (per 100,000) rates of suicide are found in a number of other urban spaces, including:
- Blackpool 14.0
- York 13.4
- St Helens 17.9
- Rotherham 15.9
- Bournemouth 14.9
- Brighton and Hove 16.9
(Public Health England, 2018)1
1. Please note, rural areas do have some significant mental health challenges. See: Satherley, Jones, & Hanna, 2022
