Today (10 September) is World Suicide Prevention Day, and with this in mind, we want to raise awareness of the important but all too often unrecognised connection between domestic abuse and death by suicide.
Figures released earlier this year by SafeLives have highlighted the harrowing reality that more people in the UK are dying by suicide following domestic abuse than are being killed by a current or former partner. This alarming trend underscores the urgent need to address domestic abuse, mental health, and suicide as interconnected issues.
In the year leading up to March 2024, there were 98 suspected suicides linked to abusive relationships, surpassing the number of homicides by intimate partners in the same period. Coercive and controlling behaviour was found to be a significant factor in many of these cases. Each life lost represents an individual who experienced unimaginable harm but did not get the support they urgently needed in time.
There could be many others in that same need at this very moment. Indeed, SafeLives’ Psychological Violence report revealed that 47% — almost half —of survivors of non-physical abuse have experienced suicidal thoughts.
Psychological abuse, particularly when part of a pattern of coercive control, can create feelings of hopelessness and despair, emotions that can push a person to the edge, making early intervention and support all the more necessary.
This is the wake-up call that professionals across multiple sectors need. Whether we work in health, social care, housing, education or criminal justice, staff must be trained to recognise the signs of domestic abuse and respond in a timely manner that meets the individual’s needs.
We are glad to see that some positive actions are already in motion, UK police forces are now exploring how manslaughter charges can be applied in cases where a perpetrator’s abuse is found to have caused their partner to die by suicide.
These moves are steps in the right direction, but there is still much to be done. SafeLives’ stark findings highlight the critical need for a joined-up approach that addresses the complex and interlinked issues that surround domestic abuse, mental health, and suicide. By working together, we can provide the support that survivors need and prevent further tragedies.
As we strive towards this essential change, let us not also forget that someone experiencing domestic abuse could still get the support they need if you or we help make it available to them. To that end, please share the below contact details and information far and wide.
National support for domestic abuse:
Refuge National Helpline: 0808 2000 247
https://refuge.org.uk/i-need-help-now/
Women’s Aid: https://www.womensaid.org.uk/information-support/
Karma Nirvana: 0800 5999 247
Mental health support:
Samaritans: 116 123
https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
MIND: 0300 102 1234
https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/
