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World Mental Health Day 2019: Suicide is largely preventable

World Mental Health Day 2019: Suicide is largely preventable

10.10.2019
World Mental Health Day 2019: Suicide is largely preventable

EFPA : Psychological care and knowledge can save lives.

#World MentalHealthDay

The World Health Organi zation (WHO) chose s uicide as the theme for the World Mental Health Day 2019.

This choice reflects the importance of suicide and the need to intervene preemptively. Suicide kills close to 800 000 people every year which is more than 2 000 per day. However, these large numbers of deaths by suicide are not inevitable. Suicide varies significantly across country, and period, ranging from less than 5 to more than 15 suicides per 100 000. This variation suggests that there are several psychological and social in terventions that can be implemented. As Rory O’Connor, Professor of Health Psychology and researcher at the Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory, University of Glasgow, said:

Although the global suicide rates have decreased in recent years, the reality is that these decreases have not been universal and in many countries including in the UK, the USA and Australia deaths by suicide are on the rise. Suicide prevention is everyone’s responsibility and it is only through working together that we wi ll effectively address this public health crisis.

Suicide is a multifactorial process with signific ant associations with mental health disturbance, psychosocial factors, substance use and suffering associated with physical illnesses. This complexity impl ies that it is both an individual issue and a societal one influenced by many cultural aspects. Suicide is most frequent in men and generally in adults over 70. Other risk factors can be identified to help governments focus on particular groups.

Given the seriousness of the problem and the severity of its implications, the focus needs to be o n prevention and early management of attempts. The WHO focus their recommendations for interventions in: 1 restricting access to means, 2) helping young people develop skills to cope with stressors, 3) early identification and management of people with suicid al ideation or who have made a suicide a ttempt, 4) working with the media to wards responsible reporting of suicide.

These interventions benefit from Psychology’s knowledge and psychologists interventions. Changing of meanings that increase suicide ideation, reducing hopelessness, promoting skills development, fo stering communication and improving it; are all core activities of psychologists. The variations across countries suggest that rates can be reduced significantly under the proper conditions and interventions. Gover n ments and societies should work towards achieving this using psychology and psychologists as essential resources.

More:

http://efpa.eu/news/world-mental-health-day-oct-10-2019suicide-is-largely-preventable

Contact for this press release:
EFPA Standing Committee Psychology and Health David Dias Neto (Portugal) david.neto@ordemdospsicologos.pt
Rory O’Connor rory.oconnor@glasgow.ac.uk

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World Mental Health Day 2019: Suicide is largely preventable
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