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Suicide is the result of an act deliberately initiated
and performed by a person in the full knowledge or expectation of its fatal
outcome. Suicide is now a major public health problem. The rate of suicide is
almost universally higher among men compared to women. Suicide is a leading cause of
death for young adults. It is among the top three causes of death in the
population aged 15-34 years.
Countries of the South-East Asia Region have a rich and
robust culture which incorporates strong family bondage, widespread community
support and faith in religious teachings. Although some of these values may
be eroding, they continue to provide strong moral support to individuals in
times of physical and mental diversity. Therefore, it is particularly
disheartening to note that suicide rates in some Member Countries are
unacceptably high. Another issue of concern is that the risk factors for
suicide identified in western studies (such as substance abuse, broken
families, death of spouse) do not seem to explain a vast majority of suicides
in the Region. All these factors call for a major effort by countries of the
Region to launch an intensive effort to prevent suicide.
The WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia is committed
to supporting Member Countries in projects and programmes related to
reduction in deaths due to suicide by providing support in research for the
identification of unique risk factors, development of study methodology,
establishing and strengthening surveillance activity and control programmes;
establishing regional networks to disseminate information; advocacy role with
governments and the community to launch appropriate control programmes;
developing manpower, including counselors and therapists where needed, and
promotion of ongoing social and developmental reforms.
There is an urgent need for all Member Countries to
recognize the impact of suicide on the family and the community and to
develop culturally appropriate programmes to contain it. Also, we need to
“celebrate life”, not end it. These messages must reach out to the community.
The manual “Suicide Prevention:Emerging
from Darknesss”
has been prepared by experts from the Region, provides valuable
information about the current state of knowledge about suicide and what can
be done to prevent suicide.
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