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Lives saved by Barnet suicide prevention campaign – new study

Council campaign run for three months in 2021 saved up to 10 lives and had wider positive impacts, concludes assessment by Middlesex University. 

In October 2021, the multiagency Barnet Suicide Prevention Partnership launched a three-month campaign aimed at encouraging men to talk about their mental health, to seek help when they need it and, where possible, to support other men in need.

'Can't find the words?' ad at a bus stop in Barnet, part of the council's suicide prevention campaign

Photo courtesy of Barnet Council

The targeting of this initiative was in response to some startling figures from the Office of National Statistics. In the UK, men are three times more likely than women to die by suicide and, since 2010, middle-aged men have the highest rates of suicide of any other group based on age and sex. In Barnet, working-aged men are also disproportionately represented among figures for deaths by suicide. 

To reduce these deaths and increase the uptake of support services, the council-led initiative through a range of activities, including a digital and outdoor media campaign, promotion of the ‘Stay Alive’ app and ‘Andy’s Man Club’ peer-to-peer support group, as well as wider community outreach.  

Now, Professor Lisa Marzano and Dr Bastien Chabe-Ferret at Middlesex University have completed an assessment of the three-month campaign and its impact over the next six months. They note a range of achievements: a substantial rise of 27% in new users of the ‘Stay Alive’ app, high satisfaction with both the app and the Man Club, destigmatisation of mental health and more men encouraged to seek – and offer – help when needed. 

What’s more, statistical analysis of suicide rates before and after the campaign suggest it, ‘potentially helping save over 10 lives during this nine-month period, at minimal cost’, according to the report – though the authors also underline that ‘these estimates need to be interpreted with caution’. 

Even with this caveat, it’s an impressive result for a relatively short-run, low-cost initiative. Barnet Council continues to develop suicide prevention work in partnership with Grassroots and Andy’s Man Club, with a further communications campaign to run through this summer. 

Cllr Alison Moore, Chair of the Health & Wellbeing Board at Barnet Council, says: ‘I feel really proud  of everyone in Barnet who has helped work towards these very positive outcomes from Barnet’s suicide prevention campaign. Every life is important and we must all do what we can to help reduce the stigma and promote the benefits of seeking help for our mental health when it is needed. It is also very positive to know that the work of our communication campaigns do have real term positive outcomes on the mental health of our communities. 

‘We remain committed to our work in suicide prevention and are using the findings to inform future initiatives to prevent suicides and support mental health in Barnet.’ 

Lisa Marzano, Professor of Psychology at Middlesex University, adds: ‘Our findings support those in the Barnet Council phase 1 evaluation report, and demonstrate that suicide prevention campaigns can make a real difference – and even a low budget campaign can have a big impact on communities. I’m delighted to have worked on this project and proud that our research can be used to inform future suicide prevention campaigns, and hopefully help to save even more lives.’ 

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Simon Guerrier
Writer and journalist for Infotec, Social Care Today and Air Quality News
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