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Every suicide is a tragedy. It is estimated that over 800,000 people die by suicide and that there are many suicide attempts for each death. The impact on families, friends and communities is devastating and far-reaching, even long after persons dear to them have taken their own lives. Unfortunately, suicide all too often fails to be prioritized as a major public health problem. Despite an increase in research and knowledge about suicide and its prevention, the taboo, and stigma surrounding suicide persist and often people do not seek help or are left alone. And if they do seek help, many health systems and services fail to provide timely and effective help. Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organization
In a comprehensive new report released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the impact that suicide has on families and communities the world over is shown in graphic detail. The report, titled Preventing Suicide: a global imperative, provides a statistical overview of suicide and the efforts being made to curb suicide deaths through prevention and treatment. According to the report, a person commits suicide every forty seconds somewhere in the world and, for every successful suicide, many more attempts are made. Among young people between fifteen and twenty-nine years of age, suicide remains the second most common cause of death worldwide.
And suicide isn't just a problem in industrialized nations. Most suicides takes place in developing countries where suicide prevention programs and resources are often nonexistent. People in need often have nowhere to turn and, because of the stigma surrounding mental illness, are forced to hide their problems until it is too late. To combat this trend, the Sixty-Sixth World Health Assembly adopted the first ever Mental Health Action plan of the World Health Organization in May, 2013. Suicide prevention was a key part of that plan with a goal of reducing the rate of suicide ten percent worldwide by 2025. Though suicide is recognized as being preventable, it is often not given the priority that it deserves by most governments and even gathering reliable statistics can be difficult in many places, especially in countries where suicide is illegal.
Based on 2012 statistics, there were an estimated 804,000 suicide deaths occurring worldwide working out to a suicide rate of 11.4 per 100,000 (15.1 for males and 8.0 for females). Available statistics likely underestimate the actual number of suicide deaths, however. Even in developed countries, suicides can be wrongly classified as being due to accident or illness. Families may also conceal suicide deaths due to religious concerns or the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Still, the statisics allow some conclusions about suicide around the world. In industrialized nations, males are three times as likely to die by suicide as women do though the male-female suicide ratio is more equal in poorer countries. Suicides also account for fifty percent of violent deaths in males and 71 percent in women. The suicide rate is highest in people over the age of 70, both men and women, in virtually every country worldwide. There are some countries, however, in which suicides are highest among young people which has pushed up the overall suicide rate for the fifteen to twenty-nine-year age group.
As for which method is favoured in suicide deaths, the most widely-used are pesticides, hanging, and death by firearms. Actual methods used vary widely across the world depending on which methods are available and suicide prevention approaches often focus on restricting access to lethal methods. This can include restricting pesticides and firearms as well as setting up barriers to prevent people from committing suicide at high-risk sites (i.e., tall buildings, bridges, train and subway tracks).
It is also important to recognize key risk factors that can increase the likelihood of suicide. As the WHO report points out, inappropriate media coverage of suicide deaths can increase suicide risk because of possible "copycat" deaths, especially following high-profile deaths. The stigma surrouunding suicide in many countries also means that people at risk are less likely to seek proper help.
And there are also community-wide risk factors that can make suicide more common. Communities affected by war, natural disaster, poverty, discrimination, violence, and political unrest can lead to greater stress for many people who might not have the resources needed to handle such stress. Though treatment programs can help to some extent, many people may not be able to take part because of long waiting lists, stigma, family pressure, and being isolated socially.
While twenty eight countries have national suicide prevention strategies, many countries lack the mental health infrastructure needed by people considering killing themselves. For that matter, there are still countries that treat suicide as a criminal offense and people attempting suicide may be sent to prison as a result. Though many countries have decriminalized suicide in the past fifty years, there are still places where people are afraid to get help due to fear of prosecution.
So how can the 194 member states of the World Health Assembly meet this ambitious plan to cut suicide rates by ten percent by 2025? Research into suicide prevention means better awareness of the different factors that can lead to suicide as well as identifying the warning signs in time to prevent tragedy from occurring.
The most important thing to know about suicide is that it is preventable. Restricting access to means of suicide is one effective strategy. Also, health care providers need to be more aware of suicide issues and include suicide screening when dealing with people suffering from mental illness, substance abuse, or emotional distress.
Communities also need to get involved in preventing suicide.This can include providing greater support for people dealing with emotional issues and overcoming the stigma that often surrrounds mental illness. Community-based resources also need to be available for people in need. That includes suicide counselors, emergency services, and greater willingness on the part of everybody to act when a life is in danger. While health care money is limited, especially in low-income countries, recognizing the need for better mental health care will pay for itself by preventing more serious problems down the road.
Ultimately, preventing suicide is everybody's responsibility. Recognizing that and learning the warning signs that can suggest people close to you are considering killing themselves can mean the difference between life and death.
