The British Journal of Psychiatry (2007) 190: 266-267. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.106.027136
© 2007 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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SHORT REPORTS

Effect of barriers on the Clifton suspension bridge, England, on local patterns of suicide: implications for prevention

Olive Bennewith, BA

Academic Unit of Psychiatry, Cotham House, Bristol

Mike Nowers, MD, FRCPsych

Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership, Cossham Hospital, Kingswood and Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol

David Gunnell, PhD

Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

Correspondence: Professor David Gunnell, Department of Social Medicine, Canynge Hall, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2PR; UK. Tel: +44 (0) 0117 928 7253; fax: +44 (0) 0117 928 7325; email: D.J.Gunnell{at}Bristol.ac.uk

Declaration of interest None.

We assessed the effect of the installation of barriers on the Clifton suspension bridge, Bristol, England, in 1998 on local suicides by jumping. Deaths from this bridge halved from 8.2 per year (1994–1998) to 4.0 per year (1999–2003; P=0.008). Although 90% of the suicides from the bridge were by males, there was no evidence of an increase in male suicide by jumping from other sites in the Bristol area after the erection of the barriers. This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of barriers on bridges in preventing site-specific suicides and suicides by jumping overall in the surrounding area.


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