Overview

• Using 2002–22 Office for National Statistics data, researchers found the North East’s suicide risk rose from 10.03% above the national average to 23.16% by 2022 and remains 39.2% higher than London’s
• The Lancet analysis links higher suicide rates to social deprivation and dense rail and road networks and finds that ethnic diversity, population density, urban light and green space have protective effects
• Dr Connor Gascoigne said the study’s methods could track place-based factors over time to inform policy and support targeted prevention efforts
• James Fildes of Space North East highlighted de-industrialisation and resource gaps as drivers of the North East’s high rates and urged more investment in regional mental health services
• Professor Sir Louis Appleby noted that shifts after the 2008 recession, including rising risk among middle-aged men, coincided with widening regional disparities and reinforced the need for ongoing monitoring and policy action