Suicide by middle-aged men

Middle-aged men have the highest suicide rate in the UK but are often not in contact with services. This study will combine multiple sources of information to examine factors associated with suicide in this hard-to-reach group, and barriers to accessing services.

More specifically, the objectives of the study are:
- to examine the characteristics of middle-aged men who die by suicide;
- to determine how frequently suicide is preceded by factors that are more often associated with suicide by men than be women (e.g. masculinities, socio-economic position, social disconnectedness, reluctance to seek help for both mental and physical health);
- to examine the role of support services; and
- to make recommendations to strengthen suicide prevention for middle-aged men.

The study is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) and a report will be published in 2020.