Higher numbers of registered suicides among mental health patients than ever before

Rope.Photo: pixabay

Last year, 137 suicides were reported among patients in mental health care, the highest number ever recorded.
The grim statistics show no sign of improvement in the near future. In January, 15 suicides were recorded’, wrote Aftenposten newspaper.

Nevertheless, neither the Public Health Authority, nor Professor Lars Mehlum, head of the National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, conclude that there are actually more patients taking their own lives.

‘Probably the reason is that there is greater and greater focus on ensuring that such cases must be reported to health authorities.

But we don’t know for certain, because the quality of the data for registering these events has been so bad. Now we are
trying to improve it’, said Professor Mehlum.

Acting director of the Norwegian Health Board, Heidi Merete Rudi, pointed out that the increase in the number of notifications, as well as a greater focus on, and increased work with, patient safety, has led to a greater number of serious incidents being
recorded.

‘The duty of notifying us is relatively new, and we know that it takes time before new arrangements are fully implemented in every business, including this one’, she said.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today