Suicide Prevention Consortium

About the Suicide Prevention Consortium

WithYou is a founding member of the Suicide Prevention Consortium and leads the workstream on alcohol and suicide.

The Consortium is led by Samaritans and includes WithYou, National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA) and Support After Suicide Partnership (SASP). 

The Consortium harnesses the collaborative efforts of its members to identify and prevent inequalities which lead to increased risk of suicide.

Funded by the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance, it brings the expertise of the third sector and the voices of people with lived experience directly to policymakers, to improve suicide prevention in England. 

For more information about this project, email holly.wood@wearewithyou.org.uk

Alcohol and suicide

Exploring experiences of accessing support for alcohol issues and suicide ideation - 2024

Our 2024 report explores the support pathway for alcohol issues and suicidal thoughts / feelings / acts, and the barriers preventing more people from accessing the help they need.

With our partners in the Suicide Prevention Consortium, we conducted a survey of people with lived experiences of these issues, and interviewed five of them to find out more.

Through this work, and building on the existing evidence base, this report identifies five key themes where improvement is needed:

• People’s support pathways vary greatly. The support system needs to be able to provide person-centred care and personalised support, meeting a diverse set of needs and personal circumstances. The support system must meet the needs of the individual, not the other way around. 
• Stigma remains one of the most common barriers to accessing support. People are missing out on potentially life-changing support because of negative perceptions around suicidality, and alcohol issues. They report being made to feel like they should be able to help themselves, or that they are not “unwell enough” to deserve support and compassion. 
• Peer support networks and third sector services form a vital part of the support pathway. The impact of hearing from others with similar experiences was extremely profound for many of our participants. We also heard many positive descriptions of third sector services, where people reported feeling empowered to make choices about their care. 
• Crisis support is not consistently meeting the needs of this group. Healthcare professionals at A&E did not always understand the role of alcohol in suicidal thoughts/feelings/acts, and follow up care was described as inconsistent and lacking in genuine care, compassion and interest in a person’s needs
• The “no wrong door approach” is much needed. Too often, people are still turned away when healthcare professionals perceive them to be under the remit of another part of the system.