The Biggest Killer in 2020?

Covid-19 or Suicide?

The death rates for Covid-19 have been well documented and publicised and whilst the impact of the pandemic is very clear with Covid deaths worldwide at 902,000 people.

Would you have any idea of the deaths by Suicide WW? Year to date it is 741,000 . Not a number that is getting headline news and with the impact of Covid there are already reports of increasing numbers. Provisional data published by the ONS suggested there had been 845 registered deaths by suicide during the peak of the pandemic between April and June 2020.

In the UK, 1 in 4 adults will experience mental ill health each year and 75% of those diagnosed receive no treatment. With the increasing pressures of the worlds media we have recently seen a number of high-profile people who seemingly ‘had it all’ take their own lives. It has often been said that those that laugh loudest are the ones that internally suffer the most.

With a return to the ‘new normal’ on the horizon, the adoption of workplace wellbeing practices and focus on the mental health of employees has never been greater.

In the past, mental wellbeing within organisations has been seen as a box ticking exercise, achieving the minimal compliancy level. Commercially, mental ill health costs the UK up to £45M P.A, with a total of 72M lost working days and an average cost of £1.7K per employee. With a ROI of 1:5 for every £ invested in your workforce, organisations need to develop a wellbeing culture to create a safe and healthy workplace, allowing employees to thrive.

Recognising the symptoms of mental ill health and creating effective workplace strategies allow the embedding of behavioural change, building mental health resilience in the workplace.    

Organisations have a responsibility to protect their employees, creating a mentally and physically healthy world – what price can you place on a life?  

*Figures correct as of 09/09/20: source www.worldometers.info