 |
| Dance Teacher Evie Douglas, 21, who committed suicide in Edinburgh. |
A STARTLINGLY high number of deaths by suicide in Edinburgh have been highlighted in a recent NHS report.
The publication revealed that a total of 722 people in
Lothian, with 419 in the Edinburgh City district, took their life between 2009
and 2014.
According to The Scottish Suicide Information Database published in August there were 4,464
deaths in Scotland by probable suicide over that period.
The report showed that almost half of those who took their
life did so by hanging or suffocation. The Office of National Statistics (ONS)
confirms this method also accounted for the most suicide methods in the UK in
2015
With 1,369 Scottish cases - the second most common type of
suicide was poisoning.
These methods tend to be driven by the availability of
means. For example, suicide involving firearms was the most common method in
the United States and jumping from a height was the most common method in Hong
Kong, a study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found.
The statistics show that a quarter of Scottish suicides were
in the ‘skilled trades occupations’ - 61 (three per cent) of those were
carpenters and joiners.
The number of student suicides was also high with 97 cases
(almost 5 per cent), whilst care workers and home carers made up 74 cases (four
per cent)
Data shows that there were a third more suicides on Mondays
than on Fridays. The most common hour of death recorded was between 1pm and
2pm.
A person behind one of these figures was Edinburgh dance
teacher at the Fiona Henderson School of Dance, Evie Dee, who took her own life
in November 2014.
The 21-year-old suffered with depression for several years
which worsened after the break-up of a long-term relationship.
 |
| Evie had a passion for dance and the sense of freedom that it gave her. |
She had been living in Edinburgh for three years and was
under the care of her local GP before she was left in the care of Royal
Edinburgh’s Intensive Home Treatment Team (IHTT).
Their team, part of NHS Lothian, made visits at the end of
September and found she had “moderate depressive episodes” and showed
“emotionally unstable personality traits”. However, they discharged her and she
tragically died in her flat in Edinburgh one week later.
Evie made several suicide attempts in the month leading to
her death and her heartbroken relatives say she was discharged without enough follow-up
care in place.
 |
| Evie with her mother and father at her 21st Birthday taken only five weeks before her suicide. |
The investigation by Scottish NHS ombudsman Jim Martin said that
Evie had been left feeling “lost and abandoned” after her discharge from the
service.
He ordered NHS Lothian to apologise for failing to offer
Evie reasonable care both before and after her discharge, and to review its
policy around outpatient treatment for people with mental health issues.
Her mother Freda Douglas, 55, describes Evie’s love for
dance and kind nature on the Mind mental health charity’s memory space. She
writes: “Evie was my life, my main purpose in life, and without her I feel I
have no identity.
“At the moment I am putting all my energies into trying to
raise awareness of mental health issues, and reaching out to others who feel as
Evie did.”
She added: “I love you to the moon and back Evie Dee. Dance
forever my beautiful girl….. Mama x”
Her fundraising page, at http://memoryspace.mind.org.uk/MemorySpace/Evie-Douglas,
has raised £1,442 for the charity.
 |
| Evie pictured with her mother Freda. |
Suicides are preventable and health care services and
communities play a critical role.
They can provide social support to vulnerable individuals,
engage in follow-up care and help to fight stigma.
 |
| Evie Douglas couldn't be caught. |
The charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness support better
mental health. They state that one in four people will be affected by mental
health problems in any year, and that most of those who are will be negatively
affected by stigma.
Anyone can use their Time to Change campaign to pledge to
end stigma and discrimination about mental health at www.time-to-change.org.uk/pledgewall.
The campaign, funded by Comic Relief, The Department of
Health and the Big Lottery Fund, is run by their partner charities Mind and
Rethink Mental Illness. They explain that they are “a growing movement of
people changing how we all think and act about mental health.”
By signing you agree to look out for friends and loved ones,
and challenge mental health stigma and discrimination when you see it.
No comments:
Post a Comment