Baroness Jan Royall of Blaisdon, Leader of the Opposition, House of Lords 27th February 2014 Speech in debate on the

steps being taken to reduce the levels of suicide among young people in the UK
My Lords, this has been an excellent albeit painful short debate for which I too must thank the Rt Revd Lord, Lords Eames. We have heard the devastating facts and figures. Each of young lives lost through suicide is a tragedy, of course for the young person themselves but also for the family and friends who love them. I am, in a way, ashamed that in the twenty first century, in a wealthy country, too many young people contemplate or attempt suicide, sometimes successfully. Of course, I recognise the strains and stresses in our society where there is great pressure to succeed and when much is expected of individuals but they are not always able to live up to their own expectations let alone those of their Peers or society. Feelings of inadequacy which can be made acute by the media, including social media. A report produced last year entitled Alone with my thoughts showed that nearly a third of young people have contemplated or attempted suicide. This is a shocking statistic that I discussed with a friend in the Forest who works in mental health. She suggested that there needed to be better training for staff in schools to identify the difference between perceived lack of motivation and depression, between anxiety and apathy, and more support was needed around low confidence and self esteem especially in this world of social networking where cyber bullying is rife. I also know from talking to students that there is a similar problem in some colleges and universities although some are very aware of the problems which they identify then provide the necessary support. The Government have a Suicide Prevention Strategy which includes the development of an e-portal for children, young people and those working with them. This is welcome, but I would be grateful if the Noble Earl the Minister could say how he will ensure that young people and their teachers will know about it. I also wonder what training, if any, teachers have to enable them to identify those children with mental health needs. Should not all staff working with children and young people receive training in mental health, including suicide prevention training? There are some excellent charities working in this area including Mindful, but they rightly say that despite the Governments rhetoric or good intentions, we are a long way from seeing parity between physical and mental health. Young peoples mental health is a vital issue that must be prioritised. It is simply not acceptable that in 51 of Englands 58 NHS mental health trusts there were 350 under 18s admitted to adult wards in the first nine months of 2013-2014. This marks a 36% increase on the previous twelve months. Could the

Minister tell me what action the Government is taking to ensure that under-18s are not admitted inappropriately to adult psychiatric wards and that when they are sent to young peoples units, they are not hundreds of miles from home. Young people aged 16-25 are going through a number of transitions and if they are in contact with mental health services there is the additional transition from child and adolescent services to adult services. I would be grateful for an assurance that steps are being taken to ensure that adequate care and support is given at this difficult time. A difficult transition can make them disengage with services with a risk that their mental health problems will become more entrenched and harder to treat. My Lords, The Princes Trust recently produced an excellent report Youth Index 2014 whose message is clear: long-term unemployed young people are in desperate need of support. 40% of jobless young people say they have faced symptoms of mental illness including suicidal thoughts, feelings of self-loathing and panic attacks as a direct result of unemployment. I pay tribute to the extraordinary work of the Princes Trust which is helping these young people, many of whom grew up in poverty and who face an increased risk of mental health problems as a result. A recent report by the Samaritans says that there are systematic socio-economic inequalities in suicide risk, defined by job, class, education, income or housing. Whichever indicator is used, people in the lower positions are at higher risk of suicide. It is not clear how low social position increases suicide risk but suggestions include powerlessness, stigma and disrespect, social exclusion, poor mental health and unhealthy lifestyles. Some recent reports suggest that changes that the Government is making to social security, including the bedroom tax, are exacerbating or creating problems for people who are already struggling, so it is clearly important that the Government rapidly monitors the effect of the changes and takes the requisite action. My friends in mental health care tell me that as a consequence of the changes the pressure on their services grows by the day, with a tidal wave of referrals every week including from young people. These people working in mental health are themselves over-stretched and they feel that no-one is listening to and addressing their concerns. I go back to the issue of schools: many young people feel enormous pressure to achieve in schools. In most cases they cope well, but for some the stress is too much. This stress may well be exacerbated now when children who used to have their own rooms now have to share as a consequence of the bedroom tax. Then there is the issue of food banks, stigma, loss of dignity for a family and the problems which this might cause for a young person already grappling with low self esteem and low achievement. My Lords, the Government has both a Suicide Prevention Strategy and a Mental Health Strategy, both of which are welcome. I look forward to hearing from the Minister that they are being implemented and that, most importantly, they are adequately resourced.