Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among young adults on the rise

In its latest barometer, published Monday, Public Health France indicates that young adults, aged 18 to 24, are the most affected by suicide.

Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among young adults are increasing, indicates Public Health France in its latest barometer published Monday February 5, and which franceinfo was able to consult on the occasion of National Suicide Prevention Day.

Young adults, the 18-24 age group in this study, are by far the most affected by suicide, whether through suicidal thoughts that the respondents recognized, or suicide attempts. Thus, according to Public Health France, if 4.2% of respondents from the entire sample (18-85 years old) say they have had suicidal thoughts in 2021, they are 7.2% of young adults (18-24 years) to admit having thought about suicide that year, women (4.8%) being more affected than men (3.5%).

The impact of Covid-19 on mental health

Public Health France highlights an increase in these suicidal thoughts compared to previous years: in 2017, still among 18-24 year olds, 4.6% of respondents reported suicidal thoughts, when in 2020 they were 7.4%. The Covid-19 epidemic also seems to have accelerated suicide attempts among 18-24 year olds, according to figures provided by Public Health France. Thus, if in 2017 the share of young adults who declared having already attempted suicide during their life was 6.1%, in 2020 it was 8.9% then 10.8% in 2021.

On this subject, Public Health France notes a “significant impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on the mental health of the population” and does it “observation of a greater deterioration in the mental health of the youngest following the pandemic”. Moreover, Public Health France recalls that the median age of the last suicide attempt is 24 years for men and women. Public health France alerts on “the increase in visits to emergency rooms for mood disorders and suicidal gestures”citing “emergency use data from the Oscour network”a Public Health France system which has existed since 2004.

The upward trend in suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts is observed over a wider period than 2017-2021, notes the public body, which specifies that “since 2014, suicidal thoughts have doubled among 18-24 year olds.”

Strengthen prevention policies

To remedy this health problem, and this “significant increase in unhappiness among the youngest”Public Health France calls for “strengthen prevention policies and a better understanding of the mechanisms that affect the mental health of young people since the Covid-19 pandemic”.

In this regard, Public Health France points out that among people who have attempted suicide, “only a little more than half said they benefited from follow-up after leaving hospital.” However, continues Public Health France, systems exist, such as “VigilanS, deployed in France for several years”and which sets up a “day before” as well as the “maintenance of post-hospital contact” in order to “reduce the risk of recurrence”.

Public Health France sets a limit to its barometer: adolescents. They were not questioned, although “the survey on health and consumption during the defense preparation call (Escapad) carried out among all young people aged 17 shows a sharp increase in suicidal thoughts over the last 12 months (18% of young people in 2022, compared to 11.4% in 2017)”.

One of the highest suicide rates in Europe

Public Health France writes that the tendency towards suicide is “general increase since 2005”, and that the groups most affected by suicidal gestures and thoughts are unemployed people, who do not have a baccalaureate, who live alone, in a single-parent setting, and who are socio-economically vulnerable. There is no notable difference between metropolitan and overseas regions.

As a perspective, Public Health France recalls that “France has one of the highest suicide rates among European countries”8,666 deaths in 2017 according to the latest data provided by the Center for Epidemiology on Medical Causes of Death (CépiDc). According to the World Health Organization, 700,000 people commit suicide each year worldwide.

*Methodology: in 2021, the French Public Health Barometer surveyed a random sample of 24,514 people aged 18 to 85 living in mainland France and 6,519 residents in the overseas departments and regions (DROM) by collection assisted by telephone and computer (Cati). The variables of interest in this study are suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts in the past 12 months, as well as lifetime suicide attempts. Changes in prevalence were established for 18-75 year olds using the 2000, 2005, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2020 and 2021 health barometers, the methodology of which was comparable.