A SUICIDE hotspot has been identified in east Glasgow, where the number of young adults taking their own life has soared.

Health researchers from St Andrews University found a “persistent and remarkably consistent” geographical cluster of suicides in the area, one of the most deprived communities in Scotland.

The study is the first in the world to pinpoint such a definite and sustained cluster and builds on research which found that during the 1980s and 90s young people in Scotland’s poorest areas were four times more likely to commit suicide than those in the most affluent areas.

PhD student Dr Daniel Exeter, who built up the grim picture using data from the General Register Office for Scotland from over 20 years, said, “The finding demonstrates that suicide is particularly high in the most deprived part of Scotland.

“The fact that this single cluster was consistent over two decades is remarkable.

“Factors which are known to influence suicide, such as drug misuse, divorce and unemployment, are likely to be more common in such deprived areas.”

The findings have significant implications for current policy, according to research project supervisor, Professor Paul Boyle.

The only geographical focus of the Executive-funded Choose Life scheme, which aims to reduce suicide by 20%, is the prioritisation of people in “isolated or rural communities.”

Prof Boyle said, “The results of this new study suggest that east Glasgow is an important area to target if the aim of realising such a significant reduction in suicide is to be achieved, particularly since the 245 suicides identified in the most recent cluster represented 19% of all Scottish non-institutional suicides in that period.”