A national report published on Tuesday revealed the total number of suicides in the region had risen by almost a third over the last 20 years.

Yesterday, more than 500 specialists in the prevention of suicide and suicidal behaviour from 37 countries came together in Glasgow for Europe’s largest conference on the subject and at the centre of debates were the recently-released figures which showed an increase in Scotland for the third successive year to 838 in 2007. However, while the report, published by the information services division of NHS Scotland, showed a sharp rise across the country, the figures in the Borders appear to be bucking the trend, down from the previous year by almost a quarter to 16.

And yesterday, NHS Borders warned against knee-jerk reactions to the national report, highlighting the low number of suicides among women in the region – only three last year.

Alan Mordue, a consultant in public health, said: “It’s fantastic that the numbers for women are so low. However, they’re much higher for men and that’s a serious concern.

“As men, we’re not very good at communicating our feelings and talking to each other, and this can lead to problems later on. Women tend to have more friends and be able to share more, but men bottle it up. If we can encourage men to seek help, then that could go a long way reducing the numbers.”

To that end, a new programme targeting men is expected to be rolled out soon, which would see NHS Occupational Health Services working closely with employers to engage with men in the workplace. The scheme will be run as part of the Choose Life initiative, which has seen local agencies such as the Samaritans, Penumbra and New Horizons working with Scottish Borders Council and NHS Borders to tackle the rising trend in suicide rates since its launch in 2002.

To talk to someone in confidence, contact the Samaritans on 01750 20000 or national helpline Breathing Space on 0800 838587 between 6pm and 2am.