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Programs and campaigns: introducing better understanding of suicide phenomenon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Z. Rihmer
Affiliation:
Psychiatry No. III, National Institute for Psychiatry and Neurology, Budapest, Hungary Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, Hungary
X. Gonda
Affiliation:
Psychiatry No. III, National Institute for Psychiatry and Neurology, Budapest, Hungary
A. Rihmer
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, Hungary

Abstract

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Although suicidal behaviour is a rare event in the community, it is very common among psychiatric (mostly depressive) patients who contact different levels of healthcare (mostly GPs) before the suicide event. The most common current psychiatric diagnosis among suicide victims and suicide attempters is major depressive episode (56-87%), which, in the majority of cases is unreferred, unrecognised and untreated. The current prevalence of major depressive episode in the primary care practice is between 8 and 12%, and earlier studies reported that only a minority of these cases are recognized and treated adequately by GPs. Fortunately, most recent studies reported much higher (62-85%) recognition and treatment rates. Since successful acute and log-term pharmacotherapy of depression significantly reduces the risk of suicidal behaviour and 34-66% of suicide victims (two-thirds of them should have current major depression) contact their GPs 4 weeks before their death, GPs play an important role in suicide prevention (Luoma et al, 2003). In fact, several large-scale community studies (The Swedish Gotland and Jamtland Studies, the Nuremberg Alliance Against Depression, the Japanese Elderly Suicide Prevention study and the most recent Hungarian Kiskunhalas GP Suicide Prevention Study) demonstrated that education of GPs on the diagnosis and treatment of depression, particularly in combination with public education, improves the referral, identification and treatment of depression and reduces the frequency of committed and attempted suicides in the areas served by trained GPs.

Type
W06. Workshop: Suicide: Psychological Pain in Suicide Victims and Survivors
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2007
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