Citation

Bennewith O, Nowers M, Gunnell D. Br. J. Psychiatry 2007; 190(3): 266-267.

Affiliation

Department of Social Medicine, Canynge Hall, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2PR; UK. D.J.Gunnell@Bristol.ac.uk.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Royal College of Psychiatry)

DOI

10.1192/bjp.bp.106.027136

PMID

17329749

Abstract

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.

Language: en