suicide prevention

Abstract

Suicide is a public health problem that affects people throughout their lives: from childhood to adolescence, and from adulthood to old age. Numerous risk factors for suicide have been identified, not only at the level of the individual, but also at the level of the family, the community and society as a whole. These factors include the existence of a mental health problem, in particular depression and substance abuse. At the clinical level, it is important to try to spot the signs of impending suicide and organize an appropriate care strategy. But there are also protective factors against suicide at individual, societal and cultural levels. There are many strategies for preventing suicide. These approaches range from raising awareness of the problem of suicide among the general population and destigmatizing mental illnesses, to more targeted measures for people at risk of suicide: actively treating depression, training healthcare professionals to identify individuals at risk, developing telephone helplines, setting up peer-help programs and developing post-hospitalisation follow-up programs.