The male suicide rate is very high north of the border

The Scottish Executive has launched an awareness drive as part of its strategy on mental health.

The latest figures show that people in Scotland are twice as likely to kill themselves as in the rest of UK.

Choose Life, an executive body set up to improve the mental health of people in Scotland, said about 600 people commit suicide each year.

More young men aged between 16 and 24 commit suicide than die in road accidents.

Suicide is preventable and the first step towards reducing suicides is to raise awareness of the subject Caroline Farquhar Choose Life

The strategy is aimed at reducing Scotland's suicide rate by 20% in nine years.

Choose Life said it was not a problem which could be solved quickly.

However, the target would still leave suicide rates 50% higher than south of the border and some analysts fear the problem may get worse without urgent action.

The campaign also marks International Suicide Prevention Week, which began on Sunday, and will be supported by events including suicide intervention workshops and suicide prevention awareness talks throughout Scotland.

Seeking help

Caroline Farquhar, head of implementation for Choose Life, said: "Suicide is preventable and the first step towards reducing suicides is to raise awareness of the subject and encourage people who feel suicidal to speak up and seek help.

"Through the Choose Life initiative every local authority in Scotland will have trained staff accredited with applied suicide intervention skills training by the end of the year.

"It is important that Scotland begins to make an impact on suicide as in the last three decades suicide rates among young men have increased 200% and currently more young people aged 16-24 die from suicide than from road traffic accidents."

Choose Life also found that a quarter of suicides were among the elderly.