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By Antônio Geraldo da Silva MD and Humberto Corrêa MD
It’s part of history. Throughout the centuries, for religious and moral reasons, suicide was considered one of the worst sins, perhaps the worst that a human being could commit. This taboo, which has deep roots in our culture, has turned into a problem and concealed a sad reality: that it can affect anyone at any time of life, regardless of socioeconomic status, age, race, gender or religion. And also that it’s closely linked to mental disorders that take away an individual’s freedom of choice. Mental disorders such as depression, bipolar and personality disorders, chemical dependency and schizophrenia, which, when comorbid or not diagnosed or treated adequately, account for approximately 80% of cases. Stressful life situations, for these vulnerable individuals, such as financial and/or emotional difficulties, are also a significant factor and can be a trigger for suicide.
The numbers themselves should be enough to convince anyone that the issue should not be seen as taboo, but regarded as what it really is: a serious public health problem. Just to give an idea of its magnitude, Brazil is the country with the eighth highest suicide rate in the world: 11.82 (per 100,000 people) in 2012. That same year, according to the World Health Organization, 804,000 people in the world died this way and, every year, the number of suicides is higher than that of homicides and war casualties combined. A person commits suicide every 40 seconds. Suicide also has countless repercussions, such as the strong impact that such a death causes in the lives of other people.
Taking all this into account, the Brazilian Association of Psychiatry (ABP) is doing everything it can to provide information to doctors and other health professionals. In 2014, ABP released, along with the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) a pamphlet called “Suicide: inform in order to prevent." We also support the “Yellow September” campaign, proposing that, during the week of September 10, World Suicide Prevention Day, yellow balloons be placed on commercial and residential windows and doors. Authorities from the entire country are also invited to use the same color to light highly visited buildings and public monuments.
But there is still a lot to be done. Public awareness and education is crucial. It is the job of health authorities to ensure that there will be organized strategies to attend and treat these individuals. In order for suicide prevention to be effective, health professionals in every level, from primary care to emergency care, must be prepared to approach, evaluate, identify risk factors, protect and perform an initial intervention on a potential suicide victim. It’s also essential to have a support structure that will lead individuals to priority care in specialized and efficient services that must be available 24 hours a day. It’s important to remember that, since suicidal behavior is highly stigmatized, sometimes it’s very difficult to ask for help. Therefore, each and every one of us and the government have the responsibility of ensuring that these individuals are provided with the best possible treatment and do not end their lives.
Antônio Geraldo da Silva is the president of the Brazilian Association of Psychiatry (ABP)
Humberto Corrêa is a member of ABP’s Commission for the Study and Prevention of Suicide
