Why do we require clinical guidelines for suicide prevention?

Abstract

At present, there are no German guidelines regarding suicidal behaviors in adulthood despite their relevance to public health and the well-established evidence about their prevention. This paper first describes the history and background of working with guidelines. The current status of guidelines for mental illness in Germany is presented and examined for suicide-preventive content. The need for evidence-based suicide prevention and a specific guideline for suicide prevention in adults is discussed. Only via targeted suicide prevention strategies and interventions for the respective risk groups, and by paying particular attention to age and gender specificity in the outpatient as well as inpatient sector, can a high level of care for all patients be ensured. Such strategies have to pay specific attention to the interface between the individual care sectors and need to take comprehensive, easily accessible, needs-based, and affordable sustainable medical care into account. This applies to the outpatient and inpatient sectors as well as to their interfaces. Suicidality is a cross-diagnosis syndrome that occurs in different care contexts and requires complex treatment; therefore, intersectoral and multiprofessional aspects must particularly be addressed in the guideline. Scientific evidence and interdisciplinary expert consensus on the management of suicidal behavior in medical care can help reduce morbidity and mortality associated with suicidality. In August 2021, the funding of an S3 guideline “Management of Suicidality” was approved by the Federal Joint Committee.