31/08/2017
Su***de: a psychological and social problem
Dear all,
Today we will learn about su***de. Why it is happened, who are at risk of su***de, what are the prevention techniques and the challenges of it? We need to know these clearly and be aware of it. So, we are presenting WHO's fact sheet on su***de here for your understanding. Let's see:
Introduction
Every year close to 800 000 people take their own life and there are many more people who attempt su***de. Every su***de is a tragedy that affects families, communities and entire countries and has long-lasting effects on the people left behind. Su***de occurs throughout the lifespan and was the second leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds globally in 2015.
Su***de does not just occur in high-income countries, but is a global phenomenon in all regions of the world. In fact, over 78% of global su***des occurred in low- and middle-income countries in 2015.
Su***de is a serious public health problem; however, su***des are preventable with timely, evidence-based and often low-cost interventions. For national responses to be effective, a comprehensive multisectoral su***de prevention strategy is needed.
Who is at risk?
While the link between su***de and mental disorders (in particular, depression and alcohol use disorders) is well established in high-income countries, many su***des happen impulsively in moments of crisis with a breakdown in the ability to deal with life stresses, such as financial problems, relationship break-up or chronic pain and illness.
In addition, experiencing conflict, disaster, violence, abuse, or loss and a sense of isolation are strongly associated with suicidal behaviour. Su***de rates are also high amongst vulnerable groups who experience discrimination, such as refugees and migrants; indigenous peoples; le***an, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI) persons; and prisoners. By far the strongest risk factor for su***de is a previous su***de attempt.
Methods of su***de
It is estimated that around 30% of global su***des are due to pesticide self-poisoning, most of which occur in rural agricultural areas in low- and middle-income countries. Other common methods of su***de are hanging and fi****ms.
Knowledge of the most commonly used su***de methods is important to devise prevention strategies which have shown to be effective, such as restriction of access to means of su***de.
Prevention and control
Su***des are preventable. There are a number of measures that can be taken at population, sub-population and individual levels to prevent su***de and su***de attempts.
These include:
reducing access to the means of su***de (e.g. pesticides, fi****ms, certain medications);
reporting by media in a responsible way;
introducing alcohol policies to reduce the harmful use of alcohol;
early identification, treatment and care of people with mental and substance use disorders, chronic pain and acute emotional distress;
training of non-specialized health workers in the assessment and management of suicidal behaviour;
follow-up care for people who attempted su***de and provision of community support.
Su***de is a complex issue and therefore su***de prevention efforts require coordination and collaboration among multiple sectors of society, including the health sector and other sectors such as education, labour, agriculture, business, justice, law, defense, politics, and the media. These efforts must be comprehensive and integrated as no single approach alone can make an impact on an issue as complex as su***de.
Challenges and obstacles
Stigma and taboo
Stigma, particularly surrounding mental disorders and su***de, means many people thinking of taking their own life or who have attempted su***de are not seeking help and are therefore not getting the help they need. The prevention of su***de has not been adequately addressed due to a lack of awareness of su***de as a major public health problem and the taboo in many societies to openly discuss it. To date, only a few countries have included su***de prevention among their health priorities and only 28 countries report having a national su***de prevention strategy.
Raising community awareness and breaking down the taboo is important for countries to make progress in preventing su***de.
Data quality
Globally, the availability and quality of data on su***de and su***de attempts is poor. Only 60 Member States have good-quality vital registration data that can be used directly to estimate su***de rates. This problem of poor-quality mortality data is not unique to su***de, but given the sensitivity of su***de – and the illegality of suicidal behaviour in some countries – it is likely that under-reporting and misclassification are greater problems for su***de than for most other causes of death.
Improved surveillance and monitoring of su***de and su***de attempts is required for effective su***de prevention strategies. Cross-national differences in the patterns of su***de, and changes in the rates, characteristics and methods of su***de highlight the need for each country to improve the comprehensiveness, quality and timeliness of their su***de-related data. This includes vital registration of su***de, hospital-based registries of su***de attempts and nationally representative surveys collecting information about self-reported su***de attempts.
WHO response
WHO recognizes su***de as a public health priority. The first WHO World Su***de Report “Preventing su***de: a global imperative” published in 2014, aims to increase the awareness of the public health significance of su***de and su***de attempts and to make su***de prevention a high priority on the global public health agenda. It also aims to encourage and support countries to develop or strengthen comprehensive su***de prevention strategies in a multisectoral public health approach.
Su***de is one of the priority conditions in the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) launched in 2008, which provides evidence-based technical guidance to scale up service provision and care in countries for mental, neurological and substance use disorders. In the WHO Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2020, WHO Member States have committed themselves to working towards the global target of reducing the su***de rate in countries by 10% by 2020.
In addition, the su***de mortality rate is an indicator of target 3.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals: by 2030, to reduce by one third premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases through prevention and treatment, and promote mental health and well-being.
