Work place stress is thought to be a factor in some suicides

A report for Darlington Primary Care Trust found more than 18 people a year take their own lives compared to the national average of 10 per 100,000 people.

The research examined dozens of cases of suicide over a three-year period to see whether there were any trends.

The study calls for more awareness and preventative action.

Trust health improvement specialist Vicky Waterson said: "There is no doubt that Darlington is high and there is action that needs to be taken."

She said the majority of suicides in Darlington were committed by men.

Contrary to some of the national data, which says most suicides are committed by people who are unemployed, the vast majority of those in Darlington were those who have jobs.

Suicide spots

Project Manager Neil Johnson said workplace stress was just one of the factors.

He said: "I think the problem when you actually do a piece of research into suicide is that there are so many different factors which can impact upon suicidal behaviour.

"One of those is being unemployed, one of those is work-related stress but there can be a number of other factors which we intended to prove with this report."

Other factors they identified were recent bereavements, physical, mental or sexual abuse and people with no social support systems.

Ms Waterson said among the action was to target workplaces by providing information and making sure policies and procedures were in place as well as finding out the best way to get information across to people so they seek help earlier.

They will particularly look at how men can be helped and how they can be engaged.

The report also identified the places which were most popular for suicides and how to make them safer for example putting in parapets on viaducts, CCTV cameras and helplines.