How to prevent suicides

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Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults. Across all ages, 1.4 percent of all deaths are due to suicide. Many cases can be prevented with simple measures.

Dr. Gil Zalsman from the Geha Mental Health Center in Tel Aviv and 17 other prevention experts have analyzed almost 1,800 studies dealing with the topic of suicide prevention.

Block the way

Obviously, many suicides can be prevented by thwarting the killing plans of those affected by making it difficult for them to access suicide tools. "This lowers the suicide rate because there is only limited switching to other methods," says Zalsman. By the time a new plan is devised, the desire to leave life often fades. In the UK, for example, certain pain reliever packs have been scaled down so that they are no longer sufficient for suicide. The result: the suicide rate with such analgesics fell by a full 43 percent.

Various studies with regard to so-called suicide hotspots have shown similar effects. For example, a net on the 30-meter-high cathedral platform in Bern prevented those at risk of suicide from falling down there. In the following years, fewer people committed suicide overall in the Swiss city. However, over time the Kornhausbrücke established itself as a new hotspot and the number of suicides is rising again.

The San Francisco authorities achieved similar success with securing the Golden Gate Bridge. Only five percent of the people who were prevented from suicide in this way later implemented their suicide plan. Overall, the suicide rate decreased by an average of 86 percent when blocking opportunities to jump from great heights.

Psychiatric treatment

What is less surprising is that psychiatric treatment counteracts suicide. The majority of those who want to commit suicide are affected by mental disorders such as depression, bipolar illnesses or psychoses. Both drug treatment and psychotherapy proved to be effective. Thoughts of suicide can also be suppressed with so-called electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Here an epileptic seizure is triggered with short electrical impulses, which the patient does not feel and which is also not visible from the outside. “The ETK should therefore not only be used in very severe cases, but also earlier in the case of patients at risk,” the authors write.

Help from relatives and doctors
Detecting suicidal thoughts or signs of depression early will also help prevent suicide. Help can come from family or friends, for example. School programs that explain how to cope with mental crises also reduced the frequency of suicidal thoughts and attempts.

According to the findings of Zalsman and colleagues, the doctors are also a major adjustment factor. General practitioners who were specially trained to recognize symptoms of depression at an early stage and who learned what optimal antidepressant therapy looks like, recorded fewer suicides in their respective catchment areas. (away)

Source: Zalsman G. et al .: Suicide prevention strategies revisited: 10-year systematic review, The Lancet Psychiatry, June 8, 2016.

Are you also thinking of killing yourself? Then look for help - entrust yourself to your relatives, your family doctor or an anonymous counseling center. In most cases, a mental illness is the cause of the despair, which can actually be treated well. And even for situations and crises that initially seem unsolvable, a way out can be found with help and a little distance. Remember, most people who survive a suicide attempt are happy to be alive later.

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