It's Not Expensive To Prevent Repeated Suicide
Attempts
September 3, 2008
The vast majority (85%) of deaths due to suicide occur in low and middle-income
countries. While wealthy, industrialized countries provide sophisticated
psychotherapeutic treatment poorer countries have little to nothing to offer
those who have survived suicide attempts.
New findings published recently show, however, that poor countries can
considerably improve prevention of repeated attempts at suicide. Providing an
information session and supportive ongoing contact to people who attempted
suicide, such as telephone calls, can significantly reduce these deaths,
according to the study published in the Bulletin of the World Health
Organization, a leading public health journal.
"People who make attempts at suicide often end up in emergency rooms. But
in low to middle-income countries, if there are no complications, patients are
discharged after being treated for their injuries with no referral to mental
health services," says author Fleischmann.
"However, by providing the patient with information and following up with
telephone calls further attempts can be prevented and lives can be saved,"
Fleischmann says.
The study was conducted in Brazil, China India, Islamic Republic of Iran and Sri
Lanka from January 2002 to October 2005. Read the study here.
Key articles from this month's issue can be found at http://www.who.int/bulletin/en/
Male circumcision is recommended as a means of preventing HIV
transmission in sub-Saharan Africa, but how safe are circumcision procedures?
Focus on tuberculosis, including an interview with Brigitte Gicquel, from the
Pasteur Institute, who explains why TB is such a difficult disease to research
and treat.
Report from Myanmar on a groundbreaking approach to disaster relief after
Cyclone Nargis
How Google Earth software could change the way we manage disease
HIV rates on the decline among pregnant women in Zambia
The first overview of the different methods people use around the world to
commit suicide
World Health
Organization
Medical News Today: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
Back to News