Rise in suicides linked to 'ladette' drinking

The so-called "ladette" binge drinking culture may be responsible for a rise in suicide rates among young women, according to a leading scientist.

Psychiatrist Dr Mike McClure, director of public education at the Royal College of Psychiatry, said young women emulating the high-risk behaviour of men, including heavy drinking, can develop similar mental problems as well as increasing the risk to their physical health.

Around 300 women aged between 15 and 19 committed suicide last year, a 10 per cent rise in the past decade. Young male suicides increased by less than 10 per cent over the same period, while the figures for the population as a whole have fallen by 15 per cent.

Dr McClure said: "Perhaps modern young females getting into the same sort of trouble as young men always have, with the substance abuse of alcohol and drugs, is leading to them feeling more out of control in their lives which has the same consequences as it has traditionally had for so many young men - suicide."

A spokeswoman for the mental health charity MIND said: "Suicide is often an impulsive act and the loss of inhibitions undoubtedly does encourage us all to behave more impulsively."

Some recent health studies have shown a steady rise in the number of drink-related illnesses, such as liver disease, among women.