To lower suicide rates, the UK government intends to restrict the availability of over-the-counter medications that contain paracetamol. This is a component of the recently released National Suicide Prevention Strategy, according to Sky News. The report emphasizes how suicide fatality decreases have plateaued since 2018. The site added that the new policy mentions a nationwide warning system for bringing new suicide methods to the attention of schools and institutions across the nation. Such a plan was last released more than ten years ago.
According to the policy, medical professionals have been requested to examine if restricting the amount of paracetamol that can be purchased in stores could assist lower suicide rates in the UK.
According to The Telegraph, consumers are now limited to purchasing two packages of paracetamol-containing medications, each of which has 16 tablets of 500mg.
However, the government has requested that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) take additional enforcement into consideration.
Within 2.5 years, UK ministers have promised to lower the suicide rate in England.
According to a 2018 study by Cambridge University Press, paracetamol is the most popular medication used for self-injury in the UK and is linked to irreversible liver damage.
The study's methodology involved the analysis of data from 80 hospital patients who had undergone structured interviews, as well as measures of depression and suicidal intent, data from the Oxford Monitoring System for Attempted Suicide, and the outcomes of liver function tests.
More than 5,000 suicides occur each year, according to the National Health Service (NHS), which also reported receiving 200,000 calls every month for crisis lines.
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