Suicide As An Emergency And Its Prevention Strategies- A Systematic Overview

Abstract

The current study is aimed at putting the light on the suicide, its prevention strategies and crisis management. Mental health is an
indivisible part of public health and significantly affects countries and their human, social and economic capital. Mental health is not
merely the absence of mental disorders or symptoms but also a resource supporting overall well-being and productivity. Positive mental
health is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can
work productively and fruitfully and can contribute to his or her community. This mental capital is vitally important for the healthy
functioning of families, communities and society. Suicide is a complex human behavior with multiple interacting determinants.
Clinicians and practitioners often face difficulties in assimilating the evidence base for suicide prevention interventions, evaluating their
effectiveness and decoding the best practice elements of each approach. In this article, we do not aim to provide an exhaustive coverage
of every approach. Instead, we provide an overview of the following eight major suicide prevention interventions: awareness programs,
screening, gatekeeper training, and access to means restriction, follow-up care, hotlines, media strategies, pharmacotherapeutic and
psychotherapeutic approaches. Although a number of approaches hold promise, there are difficulties in ascertaining the effective
elements under each of them. Innovative research designs are needed to address this knowledge gap as it will facilitate optimal allocation
of resources for suicide prevention.