QJM vol. 97 no. 10 © Association of Physicians 2004; all rights reserved.
Commentary |
Preventing suicide
From the Division of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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Introduction |
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Suicide is a major public health problem. The World Health Organization reported that self-inflicted injuries including suicide accounted for more than 800 000 deaths in 2001.1 If every suicide affects at least six family members or friends, then every year in the world there would be about 5 million new survivors. Suicide rates range from 3.4 per 100 000 in Mexico to 6.0 per 100 000 in the UK and 34.0 per 100 000 in the Russian Federation.1,2 In the US, suicide accounts for about 30 000 deaths per year.3,4
More than 90% of suicide victims have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder, and most individuals who attempt suicide have a psychiatric illness.4–7 The most common psychiatric conditions associated with suicide or serious suicide attempts are mood disorders, but personality disorders, alcohol and substance abuse, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia are also frequently
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The problem of predicting suicide |
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Implications for clinicians |
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Primary prevention |
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Secondary prevention |
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Tertiary prevention |
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Universal, selective and indicated interventions
Address for correspondence: Dr L. Sher, Division of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Suite 2917, Box 42, New York, NY 10032. e-mail: LS2003@columbia.edu
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