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EAR
Member Countries are passing through a major revolution in the social,
economic, health, demographic, information and technological spheres. In
their quest for modernization, traditional value systems are being replaced
by modern paradigms of liberalization. While the problem of suicide has grown
significantly, countries are yet to realize its impact. The problem needs to
be understood in its totality, resources have to be shared and generated, and
interventions prioritized. Even at the global level, successful programmes are very few and cannot be replicated as such
in developing countries, as the situation, problem, pattern and methods are
very different. Further, while developing interventions, the social,
economic, political and cultural factors need to be considered. Some of the
major strategies likely to yield significant and positive results are:
reducing access to organophosphorus compounds and drugs; training of primary
health care physicians (early recognition and treatment of depression);
developing social support networks, specially for
those at risk; establishing crisis intervention centres;
changing public attitudes about suicide, and augmenting social reforms across
societies. The need of the hour is to develop national suicide prevention
strategies along with early implementation and evaluation. Successes and
failures have to be shared across and within countries. The word ’success’
does not have a meaning without the letter ‘U’. Similarly, success is not
possible without ‘YOU’. The time to act and save precious human resources in
the Region is NOW.
Yogeeta
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