Suicide is an important issue of public health concern around the world. Any case of suicide is a tragedy that has adverse psychological effects that are economically and socially felt within families and societies. According to the latest reports of the World Health Organization (Aug 2024), here are some critical factors about suicide:

Key Statistics on Suicide:

Multifaceted Causes of Suicide:

Among others, mental pain, disorders, and exposure to maltreatment are significant risk factors for suicidal behavior. These disorders are significantly contributed by individuals having significant mental disturbances such as depression, other personality disorders, or childhood traumas. This link between suicide and cognitive disorders (in particular, depression and alcohol use) and previous suicide attempts is highly correlated. Many suicides happen impulsively in moments of crisis where the individual breaks down and loses their ability to deal with the various stresses in life such as financial problems, relationship disputes, chronic pain, or illness. In addition to these, experiencing conflicts, disaster, violence, abuse or loss, and a sensation of loneliness and isolation are strongly associated with suicidal behaviors.

Impact of COVID-19 on Student Mental Health and Suicide Risk:

The COVID-19 pandemic had a differential effect on suicide risk among school-going male and female youths. The increased prevalence of suicidal behaviors among these students might reflect a lack of access to mental health care. Although this lack of access might have contributed to increased suicide risk, other factors, including substance misuse, family or relationship problems, community violence, and discrimination, have also contributed to the increased risk. These factors highlight the need for a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention that is aimed at preventing suicide risk, supporting those at increased risk for suicide, preventing reattempts, and supporting survivors of suicide loss.
The implementation of school-based strategies, in addition to other community-based supports, has the potential for excellent reach and importance for youth suicide prevention. For example, creating safe and supportive environments for students by promoting school connectedness, teaching coping and problem solving, gatekeeper training, and implementing mental health services and programs can support youths in school.

Comprehensive Approach to Suicide Prevention:

To develop prevention programs to reduce and prevent the rates of suicide and attempts, we need first to understand the reasons and perspectives of those who attempted it before and survived. This can provide valuable insights into the concerns and the development of effective strategies to prevent them. Essential factors in suicide attempts include stressful family environments, mental and emotional problems, substance use, romantic disappointments, fragile peer relationships, poverty, sexual abuse, disappointments at academic or professional levels, chronic health problems, etc.

There is also a need to emphasize the importance of interpersonal issues and emotional dysregulation, financial issues in men, and social stigma faced by women. Concepts like unfulfilled desires and aspirations regarding marriage, career, lifestyles, sexual orientation, gender norms, socio-cultural norms, traditional gender roles, violence, patriarchy, and family honor play essential roles as risk factors too.

Insights from Suicide Attempt Survivors:

A study conducted by Pompili M, Erbuto D, et al. in August 2022 studied the relationship between mental pain, suicide risk, and childhood traumatic experiences. They assessed suicidal ideation and behavior, mental pain, depression, and childhood maltreatment. They concluded that mental pain constitutes a crucial framework for evaluating the individual need for psychiatric help. This allows for the identification of the main factor of suicidal risk and helps clinicians design strategies to unlock the motives behind suicidal behavior.

Importance of Suicide Prevention in Public Health Policy:

Being a major cause of death worldwide, suicide prevention, especially among adolescents and youth, should be considered a priority among public health policies. Thus, efforts aimed at preventing, detecting, and eventually treating suicidal ideation may help prevent deaths due to suicide. The concept of telepsychiatry is increasing in medical fields and specialties. Thus, regarding suicide prevention, fast and effective responses to the patient’s needs and avoiding delays can be implemented using new technologies.

The Potential of Telepsychiatry in Suicide Prevention:

Today’s generation is avid users of technology. Thus, using telepsychiatry as a tool for suicide prevention is a reasonably good idea. As defined by the American Psychiatric Association, Telepsychiatry is a subset of Telemedicine that provides a range of services, including psychiatric evaluations, therapy, patient education, and medication management.
The introduction of telepsychiatry can be considered an essential evolution in the assessment and management of mental health issues- perhaps the only advantage the pandemic brought with it. The use of telecommunication and the internet has progressed from telephones in the 1970s to internet-based interventions, most of which have demonstrated good acceptability and satisfaction among users.

Removing the Stigma and Seeking Help:

To conclude, we should not leave any stone unturned in preventing suicide and the trauma and suffering that accompanies it. It is heartbreaking to see that people still hesitate to ask for help when they badly need it. Suicide, after all, is not a solution to the challenges that come our way, no matter how severe they seem. The hesitation to seek help is often due to the taboo on mental health. Going to a clinic would expose a person. With facilities like telehealth, telepsychiatry, and suicide prevention hotlines, we can bring about significant changes and strive to achieve better mental and overall well-being of several lives.