UK Ministers will consider gambling and social media as potential risk factors while working on a new suicide prevention plan. Reportedly, the harmful effect of the coronavirus pandemic that was inflicted on local people’s mental health will also be taken into account in the first update to the suicide prevention plan in 10 years.
According to experts who have been advising the UK Government, focusing on issues such as gambling, online safety, and Covid-19 pandemic effects reflected the changes in the pattern in suicide risks. The suggestion has been made as part of a consultation that was rolled out earlier this week to inform the National Suicide Prevention Plan and the broader 10-year mental health plan of the country’s Government.
As Casino Guardian previously reported, problem gambling and social media have both been considered some of the main reasons for the deteriorating mental health of the nation. For years, campaigners have been claiming that gambling addiction and the use of social media have taken a terrible toll on Brits’ mental health. Although the exact number of problem gambling-related suicides still remains unknown, country officials have estimated that gambling addiction costs about £1 billion to the National Health Service (NHE) England every year.
According to estimates provided by the UK Health Security Agency, almost 30,000 people in England have ended up as alcoholics because of their harmful gambling habits. Experts have also been concerned that the use of social media could be a major contributing factor to the higher rates of suicide and self-harm among children in the country.
Coronavirus Pandemic Contributed to Unprecedented Pressure on Brits’ Mental Health, Along with Gambling and Social Media
The consultation comes at a time when mental health experts in the UK have shared fears that the losses of life and income during the Covid-19 crisis will fuel a massive wave of depression among local people.
As revealed by Health Secretary Sajid Javid, a large number of people in the country do not have the necessary tools and support to take care of their well-being or to prevent their mental health issues from getting worse. As Mr Javid explained, the coronavirus pandemic put unprecedented pressure on people in the UK and confirmed that the Government continued to transform and expand the country’s mental health services under the NHS Long Term Plan in order to meet local residents’ rising demand for such services.
The UK Health Secretary noted that everyone in the country had a role in resetting the approach to mental health, and the new 10-year plan of the Government would set an ambitious agenda for further development of mental health services.
Now, the Government wants to get more details about the problem from people who had experienced mental health issues and specialists who have been supporting them at the time they dealt with the consequences. The public is being asked to share views and suggestions on a website that has been specially created for the purpose. The consultation is set to run for 12 weeks and will take into consideration how various local services, including workplaces, schools and youth centres could take part in the early prevention of suicide.
Reportedly, a total of 5,224 suicides were registered in England and Wales in 2020, with 75% of the deaths being among men. Also, about 1 in 5 British adults experienced some form of depression over the first three months of 2021, with the figure more than doubling the figures from before the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Author
Daniel Williams
