New £1.5m strategy aims to reduce suicide figures

Launching the new strategy to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day, Care Services Minister Norman Lamb said: "We want to reduce suicides by better supporting those most at risk and providing information for those affected by a loved one's suicide."

Samaritans chief executive Catherine Johnstone added: "For the strategy to be a success it requires local agencies to implement the recommendations.

"We are calling on all local authorities to develop their own plans and initiatives, to make sure less lives are lost to suicide."

Around 4,200 people in England took their own lives in 2010 and suicide continues to be a public health issue - especially in the current period of economic uncertainty, the Department of Health said.

The suicide rate is highest among men aged between 35 and 49 while statistics suggest that men are three times more likely than women to take their own life.

Unemployment and severe economic problems are having an adverse effect on mental health with the initial strategy document stating: "Previously, periods of high unemployment or severe economic problems have had an adverse effect on the mental health of the population and have been associated with higher rates of suicide."

But social sciences Professor John Foster told the Star: "The incidence of suicide is highest among males facing unemployment in working-class areas.

"The government need not spend £1.5m to discover that its own policies are driving people to kill themselves. It should instead reverse the public-sector cuts and its attack on benefits."