Suicide rate in Scotland falls by a fifth in a decade

The suicide rate in Scotland fell by almost a fifth over the past decade, new figures show.

There were 795 suicides registered in Scotland in 2013 - a 19% reduction since 2002.

Health minister Michael Matheson welcomed the "significant" fall.

He said: "Any suicide is a tragedy which has a devastating impact on family and friends left behind. So it is very encouraging to see such a reduction in suicide rates."

Mr Matheson added: "A 19% reduction over a decade is testament to the dedication of many people, across the NHS and beyond, who work tirelessly to help people who might be at risk of taking their lives.

"At the end of last year I launched our new Suicide Prevention Strategy for 2013-16.

"This strategy sets out a range of commitments designed to continue this downward trend, and to further increase our understanding of suicide."

The statistics, published by National Records of Scotland and ISD Scotland, cover the period of the Scottish government's Choose Life suicide prevention strategy.

Alana Atkinson, from NHS Health Scotland, said: "Choose Life was a ground-breaking strategy and action plan that brought individuals and organisations together from across Scotland to work in partnership to prevent suicide in innovative and effective ways.

"Health Scotland will continue to contribute to the momentum we have gathered in preventing deaths by suicide over the coming years of the new strategy."