Thursday 10 September 2009

‘Suicide prevention in different cultures’

The theme of World Suicide Prevention Day 2009 is ‘Suicide Prevention in Different Cultures’. The day reminds New Zealanders and the international community that suicide is strongly influenced by cultural, religious, legal, historical and philosophical factors. Suicide cannot be understood, or prevented, apart from its cultural context.

Nevertheless international research shows that many of the approximately one million deaths world-wide through suicide are preventable, and this is the primary message of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10.

The day will be marked in New York by a media briefing and public conference at the United Nations. The President of International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), Professor Brian Mishara of Canada and WHO representatives will announce the latest figures on suicide and prevention activities.

“We want to send a positive message and a message of hope” says Professor Brian Mishara. “We now have a clear understanding of the causes of suicide and we know enough to be able to prevent a significant proportion of these tragic, unnecessary and premature deaths, to treat suicidal people effectively and to help families bereaved by suicide.”

New Zealand suicide researcher Associate Professor Annette Beautrais from the University of Otago, Christchurch is organising the programme launch at the UN as General Secretary of IASP.

She says that communities need to understand that suicide results from a complex interaction of factors. Psychiatric illness, particularly depression and substance abuse, social isolation, and relationship difficulties, work problems and other stresses all play a part.

“To be effective suicide prevention needs to incorporate a multifaceted approach that recognises this complexity and the cultural context in which it takes place, “ she says.

“This is already being applied in New Zealand through the NZ Suicide Prevention Strategy and we’re making progress internationally. But more detailed work needs to be done in New Zealand, and other countries, on developing and critically evaluating the effectiveness of intervention programmes targeting high risk groups”

Associate Professor Beautrais says this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day is drawing attention to the fact that reduction of the more than one million suicide deaths a year world wide relies on understanding very different cultures.

• Efforts need to continue to decriminalise suicide in some cultures like Pakistan, Lebanon and India

• There needs to be a focus on reducing the use of pesticides as a way of committing suicide in Asian countries

• Media reports of suicide methods need to be minimised. In Hong Kong recently stories in the media of suicide by burning charcoal sparked a significant increase in suicides. This was ameliorated by expert intervention which focused on reducing media reports, withdrawing charcoal from supermarkets and community education about suicide to reduce suicides by this method.

• Support for immigrants who may suffer from mental health problems and have difficulty adapting to an alien culture.

• Promoting community and cultural awareness to reduce indigenous youth suicide.

• Encouraging safer use of alcohol. Alcohol abuse and binge-drinking is closely linked to increased suicide rates. In the former Soviet bloc, imposition of alcohol regulations dramatically reduced suicide rates and alcohol consumption. But since liberalisation, former Soviet bloc countries have some of the highest suicide rates in the world, from 45-75 people per 100,000.

• Encouragement of treatment seeking and destigmatisation for those with mental illness and depression.

More information about World Suicide Prevention Day is available at www.iasp.info.wspd

The International Association for Suicide Prevention will hold its 25th biennial congress in Montevideo Uruguay from October 27-31 and the theme of this meeting will also be “Suicide Prevention in Different Cultures’ .

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