‘I’m always going to be vulnerable’: Suicide rates are rising – especially among women
Emma Mills-Sheffield knows all too well the grief that suicide brings. Her sister Lou took her own life. And so too did their maternal grandmother. Emma’s father tried too.
“The cycle of grief was immense and deep,” she explains as we sit and talk in her Hove home.
“It’s not straightforward when someone takes their own life; the anger, the disbelief, the constant searching. There must have been evidence. There must have been something we could have done. There must have been a note. There must have been something.
“And then the anger around, weirdly, other people. People don’t know what to say or do.”
After years of decline, suicide rates are rising – especially among women.
In 2023 in England and Wales, they reached levels not seen since 1999. Some 6,069 suicides were registered in the two nations in 2023, up from 5,642 in 2022.
Suicide data is complex and can be quite hard to interpret.
The official figures have been disputed, with some experts saying they have been oversimplified. This is partly because suicides can take a while to be registered and show up in the official data.
But what can’t be disputed is that far too many people are taking their own lives.
This is a public health crisis that needs urgent intervention, according to suicide prevention charities, which are seeing a surge in the number of women seeking help.
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‘Women are experiencing high levels of depression and anxiety’
Rachael Swann, CEO of Grassroots Suicide Prevention, a charity that helps people in crisis, says 70% of users of their Stay Alive mobile app, which connects people to support, are now women.
The rise in women taking their own lives is attributed to many factors, including menopause and perinatal depression, she says.
Rachael Swann, CEO of Grassroots Suicide Prevention
“As a midlife mum myself, I could really see the pressures,” she says.
“Women are really experiencing high levels of depression and anxiety, and there’s been a high level of domestic abuse following the pandemic.
“And then we’ve got that middle age group of 45 to 64-year-olds, who are the sandwich generation. So they might be juggling caring responsibilities, working and childcare. I’m in that space and there really is very little time and space for self-care.”
More attempts ‘than I have been able to count’, survivor says
Olivia-Louise Hamilton has been trying to take her own life since she was 12 years old.
She had a difficult childhood and battled for years with her poor mental health. She is 29 now and the dark winter months are challenging.
Olivia-Louise Hamilton
“There are more times than I have been able to count,” she explains about her attempts to take her own life.
“And they were quite different in the lead-up to it. Some of them were very, very impulsive, maybe in response to a certain trigger or because I’ve been sort of misusing alcohol, whereas others were a lot more premeditated, there was a lot more planning and that longer-term thought that went into them.”
‘I’m always going to be vulnerable’
Ms Hamilton is in a much better place now, but that does not mean her struggle is over. It is always there.
“I think I’d be lying if I said it isn’t something that’s on my mind. I think that I’m always going to be vulnerable to those sorts of thoughts just because of my history,” she says.
“But equally, the skills and the tools that I’ve learned over the years, I think really help me move forward with the hope that things might be different.
“I always think I’m hopeful. I’m hopeful enough that I won’t have a crisis. But I guess I’m not stupid enough to think that that won’t ever happen.”
Labour has promised to tackle suicide
The Labour government has promised to tackle suicide with the recruitment of over 8,000 new mental health staff specially trained to support people at risk of suicide.
In its 2024 manifesto, it said it would “deliver a renewed drive to tackle the biggest killers”, including suicide.
Ms Hamilton can tell when things are getting too much and how to reach for help. But tragically, it’s not the same for thousands of other women.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
Nigel Farage has told Sky News he “can’t be pushed or bullied” by anybody after Elon Musk said the Reform MP “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead his party.
In an interview with Sky’s political correspondent Ali Fortescue, Mr Farage said he has spoken with the billionaire owner of X since his criticism on 5 January, when Mr Musk said: “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
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Asked if the pair are still friends, Mr Farage said: “Of course we’re friends. He just says what he thinks at any moment in time.”
He added he has “been in touch” with Mr Musk, though wouldn’t divulge what they had discussed.
“Look, he said lots of supportive things. He said one thing that wasn’t supportive. I mean, that’s just the way it is,” Mr Farage said.
Musk and Farage met in December. Pic: PA
Asked if he was afraid to criticise the tech mogul, the Clacton MP said the situation was “the opposite”, and he openly disagreed with Mr Musk on his views on far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Mr Farage said: “What he [Musk] was saying online was that effectively Tommy Robinson was a political prisoner and I wouldn’t go along with that.
“If I had gone along with that, he wouldn’t have put out a tweet that was against me.
“By the way, you know, I can’t be pushed or bullied or made to change by anybody.
“I stick to what I believe.”
Mr Musk has endorsed Robinson and claimed he was “telling the truth” about grooming gangs, writing on X: “Free Tommy Robinson”.
But Mr Farage said that Robinson, who is serving an 18-month jail term for contempt of court, isn’t welcome in Reform UK and neither are his supporters.
He said: “If people within Reform think Tommy Robinson should be a member of Reform and play a central role in Reform, that disagreement is absolutely fundamental.
“I’ve never wanted to work with people who were active in the BNP. I’ve made that clear right throughout the last decade of my on/off political career. So that’s what the point of difference is.”
Despite their disagreement, Mr Farage said he is confident Mr Musk will continue to support Reform and “may well” still give money to it.
The entrepreneur has previously spoken positively about Reform UK and there have been suggestions he could make a multi-million-pound donation in its favour.
Devolution plans ‘denial of democracy’
Mr Farage was speaking from Reform’s South East of England Conference, one of a series of regional events aimed at building up the party’s support base.
Elsewhere in the interview, he hit out at the Labour government’s devolution plans which could see some local elections scheduled for May postponed.
This would apply when councils seek permission to reorganise, so that smaller district authorities merge with other nearby ones to give them more sway over their area.
Mr Farage, who is hoping to make gains in the spring contests, claimed the plans are not about devolution but about “elections being cancelled”.
“I thought only dictators cancelled elections. This is unbelievable and devolution or a change to local government structures is being used as an excuse,” he said.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage earlier this month. Pic: PA
He claimed Tory-controlled councils are “grabbing it like it’s a life belt”, because they fear losing seats to Reform.
“It’s an absolute denial of democracy,” he added.
Mr Farage was also asked why many Reform members don’t like to speak on camera about why they support his party.
He said he did not accept there was a toxicity associated with Reform and claimed there was “institutional bias against anybody that isn’t left of centre”.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and divers have been dispatched to find two sisters who vanished in Aberdeen three days ago.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday.
The siblings were captured crossing the bridge and turning right onto a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Police Scotland has launched a major search and said it is carrying out “extensive inquires” in an effort to find the women.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Local officers, led by specialist search advisors, are being assisted by resources including police dogs and our marine unit.”
Aberdeenshire Drone Services told Sky News it has offered to help in the search and is waiting to hear back from Police Scotland.
CCTV of the sisters. Pic: Police Scotland
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The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Police said the Torry side of Victoria Bridge where the sisters were last seen contains many commercial and industrial units, with searches taking place in the vicinity.
The force urged businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review CCTV footage recorded in the early hours of Tuesday in case it captured anything of significance.
Drivers with relevant dashcam footage are also urged to come forward.
CI Bruce added: “We are continuing to speak to people who know Eliza and Henrietta and we urge anyone who has seen them or who has any information regarding their whereabouts to please contact 101.”
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