General suicide rates are higher in Scotland than in any other part of UK according to Information Services Division (ISD Scotland 2009). The rate of young men committing suicide continues to be around three times that of females (BMJ, 2001). Although suicide figures have declined since 2002 they are still higher than in the early 1980s. Suicide rates in males are higher than females as stated by the British Medical Journal.
Mann et al (2005), state that evidence exists for the effectiveness of two main strategies for reducing the suicide rate for the population at large. They state two interventions, that trained physicians recognise and treat depression and suicidality and also interventions that restricted access to lethal means such as drugs used for overdosing and fire arms. There is a wide range of opinion on the relationship between mental health and suicide. Many in the medical profession, particularly psychiatrists, believe that any suicide prevention strategy must have a focus on identifying and treating mental illness, particularly depression and substance misuse. The Journal of Advanced Nursing 2006 also states that psychiatric nurses play a vital role in helping reduce the suicide rate through prevention, education and by providing care that promotes the healing of patients who attempt suicide. Good nursing practice is closely linked to education (Kenny, 2002) and Mckee et al suggest that effective learning leads to effective practice.
The Ward Manager of a psychiatric unit as an agent for change can, through working as a team with the other members of staff play a pivotal role in reducing the rate of suicide in the community as a whole and in the ward as well. For this to happen it would mean that changes have to be made within the current Unit setting to ensure success .Early intervention is one of the main strategies advocated by Mann et al (2005), and for this to happen staff would need to be trained for this. Cameron and Green (2003) also...