• Faraz Mughal, Lana Bojanić, Cathryn Rodway, Jane Graney, Saied Ibrahim, Leah Quinlivan, Sarah Steeg, Su-Gwan Tham, Pauline Turnbull, Louis Appleby, Roger T Webb, and Nav Kapur.
• School of Medicine, Keele University, Keele; honorary clinical research fellow, Division of Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester; affiliate, NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester.
• Br J Gen Pract. 2023 Jul 1; 73 (732): e478e485e478-e485.

BackgroundReducing suicide risk in middle-aged males (40-54 years) is a national priority. People have often presented to their GP within 3 months before suicide thus highlighting an opportunity for early intervention.AimTo describe the sociodemographic characteristics and identify antecedents in middle-aged males who recently consulted a GP before dying by suicide.Design And SettingThis study was a descriptive examination of suicide in a national consecutive sample of middle-aged males in 2017 in England, Scotland, and Wales.MethodGeneral population mortality data were obtained from the Office for National Statistics and National Records of Scotland. Information was collected about antecedents considered relevant to suicide from data sources. Logistic regression examined associations with final recent GP consultation. Males with lived experience were consulted during the study.ResultsIn 2017, a quarter (n = 1516) of all suicide deaths were in middle-aged males. Data were attained on 242 males: 43% had their last GP consultation within 3 months of suicide; and a third of these males were unemployed and nearly half were living alone. Males who saw a GP recently before suicide were more likely to have had recent self-harm and work-related problems than males who had not. Having a current major physical illness, recent self-harm, presenting with a mental health problem, and recent work-related issues were associated with having a last GP consultation close to suicide.ConclusionClinical factors were identified that GPs should be alert to when assessing middle-aged males. Personalised holistic management may have a role in preventing suicide in these individuals.© The Authors.

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