The first psychological study of suicides among the under-35s in the UK found that social changes in the past 20 years have played a big role in the growing number of young people taking their own lives.

The number of young men committing suicide has doubled since the early 1980s, while rates for women are coming down.

Researchers at the School of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at Withington Hospital in Manchester interviewed close contacts of 84 people under the age of 35 who had committed suicide in the area - 81% of them men.

They compared these with 64 others who were matched for gender and age.

They found that suicide victims were three times more likely to be unemployed, five times as likely to have a history of alcohol or drug misuse and far more likely to have relationship problems, either with a partner, parent or peer.

Writing in the British Journal of Psychiatry, the researchers say: "We found strong associations with a number of social, interpersonal and clinical variables, reflecting many of the changes in society during the past two decades, and with the characteristics previously associated with non-fatal deliberate self-harm."

Loners

Other key factors included a tendency to have no friends, to live in rented accommodation and to move house frequently.

Many had a history of traumatic personal problems and a historyof mental illness was a significant factor.

Ninety per cent had a mental illness, with 42% being classified as severely mentally ill.

Nineteen per cent, for example, had signs of schizophrenia. They were also much more likely than the control group to have been either emotionally or physically abused and to have been separated from one of their parents in childhood.

A high number had a history of self-harm.

The research also found that many were taking medication, including anti-depressants. A majority had been to see their GP in the last three months.

Prevention

The researchers say many of the risk factors are interlinked, which could lead to better prediction of those likely to commit suicide.

Suicide victims are five times as likely to have drug and alcohol problems

They add that they also show the need for a broad-based prevention strategy which deals with both social and health issues.

They say GPs often fail to assess risk at their final appointment with those who go on to commit suicide.

They want to see more awareness among GPs of the risk factors, as well as targeting of support at groups most likely to be at risk, such as the unemployed, and better services for people with drug and alcohol problems.

They also call for more attempts to be made to educate young people about mental health.

A recent report by the Mental Health Foundation called for mental health to be placed on the National Curriculum to encourage young people to be more aware of the problems from an early age.

A spokeswoman for the Samaritans said the reasons which drove a person to suicide were often complex, but lack of a support network could push people over the edge.