Currently, age, gender, and geography are all recorded when somebody dies from suicide. This data means we are more aware of demographic trends able to better target support, resources and initiatives at these demographics.

However, despite a larger than average proportion of people of colour and ethnic minorities being in some of the higher risk categories for suicide, there is no data available for the ethnicity of those who die by suicide. This means that we are unable to target culturally sensitive campaigns or interventions.

The reason for this is that death certificates in England and Wales do not require someone's ethnicity to be included. We are calling on the government to urgently change this so that mental health services and suicide prevention groups like ours are better able to target our support to people of colour and ethnic minorities and to better understand the complex cultural relationships that underly the conversation around mental health in these communities. 

This change will make a huge difference in our ability to ensure that our suicide prevention campaigns reach all communities.