Suicide and safety in mental health (NCISH)
The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (NCISH) has published its annual report 2025, which is based on UK patient and general population data from 2012-2022.
Non-receipt of planned care is a crucial precursor of patient suicide
Over this period, there were 18,670 suicides by patients in the UK and Jersey, an average of 1,697 deaths per year. A high proportion of patients who died by suicide showed evidence of isolation and social adversity; nearly half (47%) lived alone, and a sixth (17%) had recently experienced serious financial problems.
There were 4,718 patients who died by suicide in acute care settings, including in-patients, and those in post-discharge care or crisis resolution/home treatment (with overlap between these latter two groups).This report highlights acute mental health settings where there appears to be changing pattern of suicide risk important to prevention. It calls for a greater focus on ward safety, on reversing the apparent increase in suicide amongst people recently discharged from in-patient care, and on recognition of risk after self-harm.
In addition to key findings and clinical messages, the report provides more detailed data on specific topics such as:
- Suicide in mental health patients with bipolar disorder
- Suicide following missed contact and non-adherence with medication
- Suicide and recent bereavement in mental health patients.
Read the full report: You can see all key findings and read the report in full by clicking on the link below.
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