Official data from the Office for National Statistics shows that men account for three out of four suicides in England and Wales. The government’s 2024 Men’s Health Strategy confirms the same picture: suicide is still the single biggest killer of men under 50.
Behind those numbers are stories of men who didn’t look for help, men who tried and were turned away, and men whose symptoms weren’t correctly spotted or acted on. It’s a subject nobody finds easy to talk about, but avoiding it doesn’t make the problem disappear.
For some families of men who have passed away by suicide, unanswered questions turn into finding out whether adequate healthcare was provided.
When is a Suicide Considered Preventable?
Not every suicide involves medical negligence, but some do. When it does happen, the pattern is often familiar: risk factors weren’t picked up, early warning signs were missed, families were left in the dark, the patient was discharged too soon or without proper support, mental health crises weren’t properly assessed, or appointments were rushed, delayed, or cancelled.
In some cases, the person had reached out for help, but the system missed them.
Clinical negligence in suicide cases usually involves failing to assess risk or respond to it, or a breakdown in the care someone should reasonably have received.
Some examples of failings in this regard include:
- not identifying suicidal thoughts when the patient disclosed them
- not acting on previous attempts
- missing obvious red flags recorded in medical notes
- poor communication between mental health teams, A&E and GPs
- premature discharge from inpatient care
- a lack of a follow-up plan
- wrong diagnosis or late diagnosis of depression, PTSD or other disorders
When these failings occur, a man already in crisis may feel unsupported at the very moment he needs it most.
The Emotional Fallout for Families
When a person dies by suicide after having contact with healthcare services, the family often finds itself carrying two forms of grief- the loss itself and a gnawing sense that something wasn’t right in the days and weeks before their loved one’s death.
Family members become consumed with the feeling that they could have done more.
Many feel let down by the system.
They want answers, and to find out how and why the system let down their loved one.
What Counts as Medical Negligence in Cases of Suicide?
To bring a medical negligence claim, there are three things the law looks at:
A) Duty of Care
The healthcare provider (GP, A&E, mental health service, psychiatrist, etc.) owed the patient a recognised duty of care – to provide care at a level reasonably expected of any competent healthcare professional.
B) Breach of duty
The care provided fell below the standard that a responsible body of medical professionals would consider acceptable, examples of which include:
- not assessing there was a suicide risk
- dismissing symptoms as “stress” without exploring them further
- discharging someone despite them having expressed thoughts of self-harming
- having no safety or crisis plan
- failing to prescribe or review medication appropriately
- failing to refer the patient urgently to mental health services
- missing clear signs of a deterioration in the patient’s state of mental health
- a failure by health professionals to involve the family when they asked for help.
C) Causation
The breach of duty that took place directly caused or materially contributed to the person committing suicide.
Proving causation is not straightforward, but it is possible in cases where, for example, the person was without the care, supervision or treatment he should have had. Ultimately, a court will judge each case on its unique facts and the opinion of experts.
Who Can Bring a Claim After a Preventable Suicide?
A claim can usually be made by the executor or administrator of the estate, a spouse or civil partner, children (including stepchildren treated as children of the family), parents, and, in some cases, siblings or other close relatives.
These are known as “dependants” under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976.
For most families, compensation is not at the forefront of their minds. They want to find out what happened and why to ensure lessons are learned so other families do not have to go through what they have.
However, for some families, a medical negligence claim may become necessary. The compensation they recover from a successful claim can help ease some of the financial burden family members may be left facing.
This will particularly be the case if the loved one they lost was the family’s primary breadwinner and they were financially dependent on him. In such cases, it is advisable to seek legal advice from an experienced firm of medical negligence solicitors.
How does the Coroner Investigate a Death by Suicide?
Sudden and unexplained deaths in England and Wales will be reported to the Coroner’s office. A coroner is an independent judicial officer who will be a lawyer (in most cases). All deaths by suicide result in an Inquest being held, usually within 12 months.
During the intervening period, the death is investigated, evidence gathered, and witnesses interviewed and notified of the need to attend the Inquest, a public court hearing, if required.
The hearing of the Inquest is where the circumstances of the death are outlined. Its aim is to establish who died, why they died and where they died.
In cases of death by suicide, where failures by medical professionals have contributed to the death under investigation, it is open to the Coroner to conclude based on the evidence before them that the person died by suicide, but also to put on record the failures in healthcare that contributed to the death.
These findings can be used as evidence to support a later medical negligence claim, but even without them, a legal claim may still be possible.
Specialist medical negligence solicitors can help families:
- Understand what the medical records reveal.
- Identify where care fell short.
- Obtain expert evidence to confirm that the healthcare provided was inadequate.
- Guide them through a complex legal process calmly and clearly.
In Conclusion
Men’s Health Awareness Month is a timely reminder that we all need to be able to talk about male suicide openly. By doing so, we help break the silence surrounding the topic of men’s mental health issues so that those in need feel more comfortable in getting the help that may save their lives. By doing so, they are also helping to reduce the number of people who lose their lives due to suicide. Whilst this is a secondary consideration, it is nevertheless important.
By discussing men’s mental health issues openly, it may make it easier for those who are experiencing suicidal thoughts to find the courage to reach out to the many organisations that are there to help, such as ‘The Samaritans’ 116 123 (freephone) Samaritans.org and the National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK 0800 587 0800 https://spuk.org.uk/national-suicide-prevention-helpline/.
The mental health charity, MIND, has a page full of valuable contacts listed at https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/suicidal-thoughts-and-suicide-prevention/useful-contacts/
If you are having suicidal thoughts or are worried that someone you love may be suffering, please get in touch with one of the many organisations dedicated to providing the help you need!
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