Suicide Prevention

Two people die by suicide every day in Scotland.

Each one of these deaths is a tragedy; which is why SAMH works every day to prevent suicide, and to support those affected.

Ask Them About Suicide is our national campaign which aims to empower people to ask ‘are you thinking about suicide?’ with confidence and bravery, and our resources provide them with the tools to have that conversation.

We believe that suicide prevention is everyone’s business, which is why our teams work to equip communities with the tools and information to talk about suicide, seek help, and receive localised support quickly.

Our work includes:

• Training more people to be confident talking about suicide or supporting someone thinking about suicide.
• Producing information and resources so that anyone affected by suicide in Scotland has access to the information they need.
• Creating an exemplary regional suicide prevention partnership.
• Continuing to support people daily through our local services and national programmes.

SAMH also has a long-standing history of influencing the public agenda on suicide prevention. In September 2022, The Scottish Government published a new, 10-year Suicide Prevention Strategy – Creating Hope Together. It also published a 3-year action plan.

The strategy intends to reduce the number of suicide deaths in Scotland by taking a society-wide approach to tackling inequalities and supporting communities so that anyone who has thoughts of taking their own life or is affected by suicide gets the help they need and feels a sense of hope. We will play our part in making that vision a reality.