Suicide rates among British schoolgirls up 38pc to highest ever level as modern pressures take toll

Suicide rates among schoolgirls and young women have hit a record high, new figures show, as experts warned that the pressures of modern life were fuelling the rise.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that 13.3 per cent of deaths of females aged between five and 19 are now due to suicide, a 38 per cent increase from 2016.

It is the highest percentage recorded since records began in 2001. Of the 490 girls and women aged between five and 19 who died in 2017, 65 of them took their own lives, and suicide is now the leading cause of death in that age group.

Experts are increasingly warning that young girls face unprecedented pressures to conform to idealised images of beauty on social platforms, as well as dealing with cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and grooming, all of which damage their mental health.

Dr Jon Goldin, Vice chair of the child and adolescent faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists said: “These are deeply concerning figures which once again highlight the pressures facing young women in our society today.

“Girls are perhaps more susceptible than boys to the kind of pressures society increasingly places on them to look good, lead a glamorous lifestyle etc.

“These pressures are transmitted in various ways, including via social media, and can be detrimental to young people's self esteem.

"Academic pressures, socio-economic pressures, family difficulties and pessimism about the future all also play a part and our NHS CAMHS teams are sadly too stretched and under-resourced to adequately meet the needs of all these depressed young people at risk of suicide or self-harm.

"These are really tragic figures, which should act as a wake up call that many young people in our society are in great distress and need significantly more support."

The Telegraph has been campaigning for a new statutory duty of care on social media firms to better protect children from threats such as cyberbullying, grooming and addiction.

Last week a study from the University of West England showed that schoolgirls as young as four are being encouraged to manipulate their images to appear more beautiful on selfie apps and games.

In September a study by the University of Nottingham also showed their had been a tripling in poisonings from paracetamol and antidepressants among those aged between 10 and 24 in the UK between 1998 and 2014.

Their research suggested around one in seven children and young people have attempted self-harm or suicide, most commonly by taking high quantities of drugs such as paracetamol.

The ONS figures also showed that the number of young males between five and 19 committing suicide also rose from 15.2 per cent 16.2 per cent in 2017.

Alana Ryan, Senior Policy Officer at the NSPCC, said: “Any death by suicide is a tragedy and as a society we must ensure support is readily available for young people suffering with mental health problems.

“One in three counselling sessions carried out by Childline last year related to mental health, with some children telling us they struggle to access support and only receive help when they reach crisis point.

“Our own research showed that almost a third of children referred by schools for specialist mental health support over the last four years were denied treatment.”  

The Samaritans has also criticised the rise of suicide on the screen and was particularly concerned by the Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why, about the death of a schoolgirl, which aired in 2017.

San Diego State University found that in the days after the series first aired in March last year, Google search queries for ‘how to commit suicide’ rocketed.

A recent Telegraph investigation also found that the social media platform Instagram is promoting accounts which “incite” young people to self-harm.

Responding to the new figures, Samaritans CEO Ruth Sutherland said: “Suicide is complex and there’s never a single reason why a person chooses to take their own life.

A range of factors are involved, both internal and external, as well as personal characteristics and life events, usually relating back over many months or years.

“These figures seem to reflect the national picture of increasing rates of suicide in young people aged 15-19 in recent years. We need to monitor this trend and understand more about why young people are taking their own lives so that resources and expertise can be directed at those who are most at risk.

“There has been a lot of progress in producing suicide data in recent years. We believe that striving for more real-time data is one way to help develop effective suicide prevention measures and respond to any emerging trends more quickly.”