Tag: suicide and social factors

📵 Children are increasingly exposed to content that can be harmful, including misogyny and unhealthy relationship dynamics, particularly online. Last week, the Government released new guidance on education around these topics with a focus on helping children and young people ‘identify positive role models and challenge harmful behaviours they might encounter online and in real life’. (Education Hub)

These changes will be mandatory for all schools to implement from 1 September 2025, and so the education our children receive around relationships, relationships and sex, and health will look different.

So what’s changed?

🚨 Sexual harassment, stalking, revenge porn, sexism, deepfakes – all of these are now explicitly taught.

♂️ Misogyny and Incel culture – Students will learn to identify these & promote positive male role models.

👮 Strangulation is taught as a criminal offence – even without visible injury.

🔞 Age-appropriate flexibility – primary schools may teach PSHE topics to children in years 5/6+ if relevant to pupil’s experiences

🪪 Gender identity – guidance advises schools to remain neutral and to avoid simplifying gender or endorsing one ideological perspective

🧠 All schools should offer mental health support to some degree:

Primary – Focus on emotions, bullying and loneliness
Secondary – includes suicide prevention
Additional topics to include menstrual health, antimicrobial resistance, gambling, bereavement and parenting

⚠️ These new guidelines mark a positive shift in increasing awareness around modern harms and safeguarding for our children, and the addition of Suicide Prevention education for children of secondary school age and above marks a turning point.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for children and young people, and by introducing awareness there is a hope to prevent suicidality and provide greater support.

🚶‍♂️‍➡️🚶‍♂️‍➡️🚶‍♂️‍➡️

This change is a result of the Government’s consultation, but it has been brought about with the tireless efforts of Mike, Andy and Tim from 3 Dads Walking.

https://lnkd.in/em4DujT2

These men came together after losing their daughters to suicide, and began a four year campaign to raise funds and awareness for suicide prevention services. They have walked more than 1,500 miles and raised over £1.5 million for PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide, as well as campaigning for national change and an increased awareness of suicide among young people.

This change in guidance is a huge success for the sector and for education, but an even bigger achievement for the 3 Dads. We want to join with the nation and the Suicide Prevention Sector to thank these men for their determination and effort.

hashtag#suicideprevention hashtag#3dadswalking hashtag#fshe hashtag#departmentofeducation hashtag#mentalhealthlearning

Alice and the Mental Health Learning Team 🧠

Suicide is the leading cause of death in men under 49 and women under 35. With a rise in mental ill-health and suicide, there is an ever increasing need for all individuals to understand how to spot signs of distress, effectively respond, and support a person in need. 

Mental Health Learning was founded in 2018 as a consultancy and training provider to support places of education and workplaces to help people to acquire this potentially life-saving knowledge. Our mission is to ensure that skills continue to grow amongst those who are most likely to see the signs of mental ill-health, self-harm, and thoughts of suicide. Our motivation is that our trainees can recognise these signs, then intervene to reduce harm in your place of education or workplace. 

In this post, we’ll be discussing how these factors can contribute to suicide risk, and we’ll be sharing resources and training, both for those in need of support, and for those who are working or living with people who may be at risk. 

Every life lost to suicide is a profound tragedy that sends ripples through families, communities, and society as a whole. Behind each statistic lies a human story — often shaped by social, economic, and environmental factors that go far beyond individual mental health. 

In March 2025, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health published a review of the social determinants of suicide, and this highlighted a number of factors that could contribute to a risk of suicide. 

This review challenges the idea that suicide risk is solely related to a persons mental health, and fills in the gaps in knowledge around other risk factors of suicide. Previous research has highlighted the role of social determinants of health on mental health, but their impact on suicide is less understood. 

The aim of the review was to look at the link between ten social determinants of health (as defined by the World Health Organisation) and suicide mortality. It found the following associations:

• Unemployment, low income, debt, and economic downturns are significantly associated with increased suicide risk.
• Generous social protection policies (e.g., unemployment benefits) may reduce suicide rates.
• Low education and adverse working conditions (e.g., workplace violence, low job control) are associated with higher suicide risk.
• Environmental factors such as high temperatures, air pollution, natural disasters, and rural residence can elevate suicide risk.
• Childhood adversity (e.g., neglect or abuse) is also a notable contributor.

Suicide Prevention Advice & Help

 ⚠️If you’re worried about yourself, or if the content of this newsletter is distressing – you can access help using the resources below ⚠️

If you’re worried about someone in your community

Your intuition is the most powerful tool that could tell you if someone needs help. Even if you can’t put your finger on it but something is telling you that you ought to be concerned about someone, trust your instinct. 
You might not know what to say and you may be worried about what you should do if there is something serious, but reaching out to someone doesn’t mean you have to be the only one helping them. Quite often it’s the case that we just need someone to listen and talk to.
Some of the things you’ve noticed that might be causing you concern could be: 

Alice and the Mental Health Learning Team 🧠