Scale of suicide unacceptable, say MPs

The number of people taking their own lives in England is unacceptably high, says a report by the Health Select Committee.

According to a BBC report, the group of MPs is putting pressure on the government ahead of its new plan for preventing suicides, which is expected in the New Year. The number of deaths by suicide was 4,820 in England in 2015 - part of a UK-wide figure of 6,188.

The committee said support needed to be more accessible to those at risk.

One bereaved mother who gave evidence to the committee said: "My son wasn't hard to reach, it was the services that were hard to reach." Angela Samata's partner, Mark, took his own life thirteen years ago. She says there was no warning or hint of what he intended to do.

"One minute you are talking to them on the phone and the next minute you are never going to speak to them again. The shock of that, your head kind of tricks you into thinking this can't be real."

She now heads a national charity supporting those affected by suicide. "If there's one thing I've learnt, above all else, it's that you have to talk about this. It's really important to talk."

See the rest of the BBC report here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38343186