IASP Newsletters 2008

In official relations with

the World Health Organization

President:

1st Vice President:

2nd Vice President:

3rd Vice President:

Prof. Brian Mishara

Prof. Mark Williams

Assoc. Prof. Heidi Hjelmeland

Prof. Kees van Heeringen

Treasurer:

General Secretary:

National Rep:

Organisational Rep:

Prof. Thomas Bronisch

Assoc. Prof. Annette Beautrais

Dr Murad Khan

Dr Jerry Reed

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F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8

FROM THE PRESIDENT

The passing of two telephone helpline pioneers

In recent months suicide prevention workers around the worldhave mourned the passing of two pioneers in the developmentof telephone help for suicidal persons, Chad Varah andJohn Kalafat. Reverend Varah, the founder of the Samaritanmovement, has had a major impact on the development ofvolunteer-based help for persons in distress. Vanda Scott, whoworked with Chad Varah for many years, has written a brief articleon his life and work in this IASP News Bulletin. Below, are somebrief words about John Kalafat, who is less known outside ofNorth America:

John Kalafat, Ph.D., died suddenly at his home on October 26,2007 at the age of 65. For over 35 years, John has been anarticulate and inspiring spokesperson for the development ofquality crisis services for suicidal individuals. John was co-founder and director of the Telephone Counselling Referral Servicein Tallahassee, Florida from 1970 to 1977. He publishedextensively on crisis hotline training approaches and researchon outcomes and most recently, with Dr. Madelyn Gould, heconducted ground breaking research on evaluation outcomesof crisis lines in the United States. He was a Professor in theDepartment of Applied Psychology, Graduate School of Appliedand Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, where he taughtcourses on "systematic observation and interview", "advancedschool supervision", and "crisis intervention," and chaired manydoctoral dissertations. He was a past President of the AmericanAssociation of Suicidology and throughout his career has beeninvolved in committees and organisations that promote bestpractices in crisis intervention and suicide prevention in schools.He was involved in evaluating the Lifeline school-based adolescentsuicide prevention programme that has been implemented inseveral states in the United States. John had the personal qualitiesof a warm and empathetic colleague who was passionately devotedto his work and research projects. He constantly sought to improvethe quality of suicide prevention programmes and insisted onthe importance of rigorous training and careful evaluation. Hewill be sorely missed by his family, colleagues and peopleinvolved in suicide prevention around the world, who have grownto appreciate his thoughtful insights on how to improve skillsand advance the cause of suicide prevention.

Brian L. Mishara, [email protected]

Dr Chad Varah - founder of the Samaritansand Befrienders InternationalThe Rev Dr Chad Varah died aged 95 on 8 November 2007. In 1953, Dr Varah founded Samaritansin 1953, "to befriend the suicidal and despairing". Having extended throughout the UK andIreland, Dr Varah also promoted the same principle internationally through Befrienders International(known as Befrienders Worldwide) which now operates in more than 40 countries. Born in theheart of England in the small town of Barton upon Humber, County of Lincolnshire, in 1911,Edward Chad Varah, the eldest child of nine and the son of an Anglican Church minister foundeda worldwide movement of volunteers who are dedicated to offer emotional support to those whoare suicidal and in despair. Chad Varah recognised, in the repressed UK in the early 1930s, theextent of confusion and ignorance about many social issues, which were shrouded in taboo.He observed the disturbing way this was, in many cases, the cause of suicide.

Chad Varah read natural sciences at Keble College, Oxford and later studied at the LincolnTheological College from where he was ordained as a priest into the Church of England. Oneof his first duties as an assistant curate in 1935 spawned his lifelong commitment to suicideprevention. He officiated at the funeral of a 13 year old girl who was so confused and isolated,believing that she was mortally ill and would die a slow and painful death, that she killed herself.In fact she was experiencing the onset of menstruation. Chad Varah was deeply moved and upsetat that suicide and during the next few years he continued to encounter suicidal people in hospitalsand within his parish. He was aware of the lack of facilities for the suicidal and that many whowere at the brink of killing themselves did not necessarily wish to see a psychiatrist. He believedsuicidal people needed a way of being in touch with someone to whom they could talk at anytime of day or night that was right for them.

The opportunity arrived to help such people when Chad Varah was appointed as rector toSt Stephen Walbrook, the City of London church in which he founded The Samaritans, a volunteerresourced organisation dedicated to befriending those going through emotional distress. In 1953,remembering the young girl and responding to the despair and suicide known to be prevalentin London, Chad Varah advertised in the press and opened the first drop-in centre where emotio-nally isolated and distressed people were able to come and talk of their despair and suicidalfeelings. Such a service or facility at that time was envisaged as a counselling programme butwithin months he recognised that significant number of people who were in crisis and suicidalhad nowhere or no-one to turn to for emotional and psychological support and the majority ofvisitors wanted to talk to someone who would give them time and space; to whom they couldexpress their deepest most anguished thoughts; to someone who would be prepared to listen,

in confidence with acceptance and compassion.

To meet the huge response Dr Varah organised volun-teers to talk with those waiting to see him and soon ob-served interaction between the many and varied callerscoming to talk and the lay volunteers who listened em-pathetically and acceptingly. Professor Brian Misharastates "Chad Varah was unquestionably one of the mostimportant influences in the development of telephonehelp lines around the world. His dedication and actionshave resulted in the saving of countless lives.”Today there are now thousands of volunteers in over40 countries dedicated to giving emotional support tothe suicidal as first conceived in the 1930s by thecharismatic Dr Chad Varah, CH. CBE. MA.

Chad Varah with the originalSamaritans telephone

Photographs taken at theIASP Congress in Killarneyare now available at thephotographer’s website:http://www.macmonagle.comTo view the photos type iasp intothe box marked ‘proof’ at thebottom right hand corner of thescreen.


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2008 ConferenceJointly presented by theCanadian Association for Suicide Prevention andAssociation Québécoise de prévention du suicide

Quebec City, October 2008

12th European Symposium onSuicide and Suicidal Behaviour27th - 30th August 2008Glasgow - Scotland

The 41st American Associationof Suicidology (AAS)Conference 16 - 19 April 2008Boston Park Plaza, Boston

www.suicidology.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=19%20

For more information, please check: www.aqps.info

3rd Asia Pacific RegionalConference of Suicide PreventionSuicide research and preventionin times of rapid change in Asia.Opportunities and challenges

31 October –3 November 2008,Hong Kong

S Y M P O S I U M A N D C O N F E R E N C E S

The 2nd Announcement is now available athttp://www.hamptonmedical.com/pdf/2008/esssb12/announcement.pdfRegistration is now open and closing date forsubmission of abstracts is 3rd March 2008

The 3rd Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association for SuicidePrevention will be held 31 October - 3 November 2008 in Hong Kong. This meeting isorganized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the HKJC Centre forSuicide Research and Prevention, Faculty of Social Sciences, the University of Hong Kong.A further announcement and call for abstracts will be made before the end of January andwill be posted on the conference website at http://csrp.hku.hk/iasp2008 and on the IASPwebsite http://www.med.uio.no/iasp/.

The deadline for abstract submissions is 30th April 2008.

The IASP Postvention Task Forcehas produced the first of what will be regular newsletters.These newsletters will be emailed to everyone on the Task Forceemail list, and will be available to IASP members on the IASPwebsite - go to the Task Forces, Postvention – tab.

The news letter editors welcome contributions to the next newsletter- please send to [email protected] or "Michelle Linn-Gust"[email protected]

The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) Section on Suicidologyhas established a Permanent Award in memory of Prof. Sergio DeRisio. This award will be attributed to the best presentation/paperin the field of suicidology performed by young researchers (below35 years of age) and accepted for a WPA official meeting or Congress.

The next WPA World Congress of Psychiatry will be held in Prague,in September 2008 (www.wpa-prague2008.cz).

For further information about this Award please contactthe General Secretary of the WPA Section of Suicidology,Professor Marco Sarchiapone Email: [email protected]

The De Risio Award 2008



President:

Vice President:

Vice President:

Prof. Brian Mishara



Treasurer:

General Secretary:

National Rep:

Organisational Rep:



Dr Murad Khan

Dr Jerry Reed


M A R C H 2 0 0 8

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Thoughts from Suicide Prevention Pioneer Norm Farberow, at age 90

Nils Retterstøl - In Memoriam

The photo above was taken recently of Norman Farberow,his wife Pearl and me after he drove from an afternoon at theopera to meet me for dinner. I had several hours layoverbetween flights at the L.A. airports, and visiting with Normand Pearl was a great treat. Norm turned 90 on February 12,but apart from the extensive knowledge and wisdom thatcreeps into his conversation, one gets the impression ofchatting with a very enthusiastic young suicidologist. Althoughhe can joke "Oh to be 65 again," Norm and Pearl have a veryfull social life, exercise regularly and are involved in a varietyof activities. Norm is a member of the Survivors AdvisoryGroup at the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center, whichis now part of the Didi Hirsch Community Mental HealthCenter. He actively reviews research articles for several journals;he is involved in staff training at the center and keeps regularcontact with many suicidologists around the world. At the endof each staff training, he and the Centre’s "old timers" MickeyHeilig and Bob Litman meet with the newly trained staff togive them some perspective on the history of the Centre andallow them to profit from the experiences from some of thepeople who founded the Centre over 50 years ago.

Norm is impressed when he looks back at the last half cen-tury, by what he feels are remarkable changes in the acceptanceof suicide in public discourse. In the early days, suicide wasa taboo topic and sometimes he had to use other words totalk about it. Now, although there are still subtle feelingsreferring to the old taboos, there is much more tolerance andopenness to discuss suicide and suicide prevention. Normsays that he has also observed a major shift in suicidologyand IASP. Originally IASP consisted solely of people fromWestern Europe, Canada and the United States. Now peopleare involved in suicide prevention around the world. He owesan important part of the development of awareness worldwideof suicide prevention as a public health problem to IASPactivities.

He is immensely proud of being involved in IASP from thevery beginning. When I asked him about the challenges forthe future of suicide prevention, he was quick to emphasizethat we are neglecting a vital aspect of: research on the needsof survivors and how to better provide relief for the pain theysuffer. Norm continues to follow the research literature andlaments the fact that there is almost no empirical data on whatis most helpful and how to adapt survivor programmes fordifferences in culture, gender and age. He is interested inlearning more about how one changes the cultural attitudesthat have been embedded in societies for ages, specificallynegative attitudes about suicide prevention and reluctance toseek help.

Norm has had a lifelong goal of having all countries developstrategies for suicide prevention and for suicide survivors.He feels we need better education on suicide prevention andsuicide survivors for professional associations and the generalpublic. He is still involved with many suicidologists aroundthe world. The L.A. Suicide Prevention Centre has alwaysbeen a focal site for training internationally. For example, theCentre has conducted seminars for chaplains in the SouthKorean Army who have come the past several years to learnhow to better prevent suicide in the military.

Until recently Norm and Pearl attended every IASP meetingssince the very first. He said: "I think of IASP and I rememberthe joy and pleasure of meeting and re-establishing greatfriendships at the bi-annual meetings. Everywhere in theworld there was someone I could visit as a friend and learnfirst hand about suicide prevention in their country." He asksthat I include in this article his appreciation for the convivialaspects of the meetings, and to indicate to his many oldfriends that he often thinks about them fondly, although hecan no longer attend IASP meetings.

Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D.

[email protected]

Past president and honorary member of IASP,Professor Nils Retterstøl passed peacefully away inhis home on the 9th of February, aged 83 years.Professor Retterstøl held several of the most influentialpositions in Norwegian psychiatry at the universitiesof Oslo and Bergen and at major psychiatric hospitals.He played a major role reforming psychiatric healthcare from the early 1960s onwards; his focus alwaysset at helping those in greatest need of mental healthcare.

He worked systematically to destigmatize mentaldisorder and suicide in the public opinion throughpioneering TV programmes and other mass mediacontributions. He was widely reputed nationally andinternationally for his many scientific contributionsin suicide research and he was highly active in severalinternational organisations.

Professor Retterstøl supported IASP for many yearsin different roles and he was president of the organi-sation from 1989 to1991. He received many awardsand honours, among them a special award from IASPin 1999 and he was also made honorary member ofIASP. After his retirement in 1994, Professor Retterstølremained a highly productive lecturer and author –he completed his 50th book only days before hepassed away. He will be deeply missed by manycolleagues and friends in the international field ofsuicide research and prevention, by the national net-work of suicidology in Norway where he played sucha profound role and by his dear family. The funeraltook place at Nordstrand in Oslo on February the 19th.

Lars Mehlum


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3RD ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL CONFERENCEOF SUICIDE PREVENTIONSuicide research and prevention in timesof rapid change in the Asia Pacific Region:Opportunities and challenges31 October –3 November 2008, Hong Kong


The conference is organized by the InternationalAssociation for Suicide Prevention and the HKJCCentre for Suicide Research and Prevention, Facultyof Social Sciences, the University of Hong Kong.

Important Dates Deadline for Abstract/Poster Submission April 30, 2008

Notification of Results June 30, 2008Deadline for Early Bird Registration July 15, 2008Deadline for Normal Registration Sep 30, 2008

The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) Section onSuicidology has established a Permanent Award inmemory of Prof. Sergio De Risio. This award will beattributed to the best presentation/paper in the field ofsuicidology performed by young researchers (below35 years of age) and accepted for a WPA official meetingor Congress.

The next WPA World Congress of Psychiatry will be heldin Prague, in September 2008 (www.wpa-prague2008.cz).

For further information about this Award please contactthe General Secretary of the WPA Section of Suicidology,Professor Marco SarchiaponeEmail: [email protected]

The De Risio Award 2008

IASP’s 25th Congress 2009

Theme: Understanding Youth Suicide:A Meeting of Differing PerspectivesSecretariat: ISAS International Seminars,P.O.Box 34001, Jerusalem 91340, IsraelTel: ++972-2-6520574,Fax: [email protected]: www.isas.co.il/suicide2008

For submission of abstracts,registration details and programmeoverview see the website http://csrp.hku.hk/iasp2008.

The IASP PostventionTask Force 2nd newsletteris available online at the IASP website- go to the Task Forces, Postvention – tab.The newsletter editors welcome contributions forthe next newsletter. Please send to"Sean McCarthy" [email protected] or"Michelle Linn-Gust" [email protected]

Second International Conference on UnderstandingYouth Suicide: A Meeting of Differing PerspectivesMarch 25-27, 2008, Ma'ale HaChamisha Conference Center Judean Hills, Israel

The 25th World Congress of the International Association of SuicidePrevention to be held in Montevideo, Uruguay in 2009 will mark50 years since the founding of IASP at the 1st International Conferencefor Suicide Prevention held in 1960 in Vienna, organised by ErwinRingel. To celebrate this anniversary the IASP Board would like toarchive historical material and welcomes copies of proceedings andphotographs from the first 20 congresses.If you are willing to provide material please send it to Vanda Scott,IASP Central Administration, Le Baradé, 32330 Gondrin, FranceFax: +33 562 29 19 47 / Email: [email protected]



President:

Vice President:

Vice President:

Prof. Brian Mishara



Treasurer:

General Secretary:

National Rep:

Organisational Rep:



Dr Murad Khan

Dr Jerry Reed


A P R I L 2 0 0 8

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Retirement of José BertoloteMarch 31 marked the retirement of Dr. José Bertolote, a passionate friend and supporterof suicide prevention, after an impressive career of devoted work in the Mental HealthDivision of the World Health Organization.

Although José is a very young age 60, WHO rules require retirement at that age.One of the first things José did on his retirement was apply for membership in IASP(this was not permitted when he worked at WHO).Below is an extract from the letter wesent for inclusion in the Livre d’Or" that was presented to José upon his retirement:

The International Association for Suicide Prevention wishes to express all its gratitudefor your majestic role in advancing suicide prevention worldwide. All IASP membersare well aware that your contribution to the fight against suicide was not merely basedon your WHO officer’s responsibilities, but your personal dedication to support andhelp countries around the world develop their own suicide prevention agendas. It wouldbe difficult to enumerate the numerous events, conferences and congresses around theglobe that have been blessed by your openings. Those acts not only provided a tangibleproof of WHO’s interest, but also gave weight and credibility to the meetings throughthe added value of your competence and guidance.Needless to say, your SUPRE (SUicide PREvention) campaign has been of paramountimportance in representing the depth of the commitment of WHO to the field of suicideprevention. Of utmost significance was your role in making suicide prevention a toppriority for WHO. Your SUPRE initiative was accompanied by a number of publicationscoordinated by you (via WHO) in a number of domains of great relevance in suicideprevention: from prevention in special environments such as schools and prisons tomedia guidelines and General Practitioners’ involvement, and many more. But SUPREalso resulted in extensive scientific cooperation, the SUPRE-MISS study, which broughttogether scientists from five continents, including countries such as Iran and Viet Nam,where it was their first venture in collaborative suicide research and prevention.Your influence is also perennially attached to a very meaningful and extremely successfulenterprise, this time jointly realized by IASP and WHO: World Suicide Prevention Day.Since 2003, on the 10th September of every year, this event continues to attract an im-pressive number of countries (last year, more than 70 countries celebrated World SuicidePrevention Day). It is wonderful to see people from all over the world working togetherwith the common goal of reducing suicide. More recently, under your leadership, WHOand IASP developed a collaboration in an innovative initiative to develop pilot programmesto prevent pesticide suicides. Throughout the years your devotion and involvementworld-wide as a champion of suicide prevention has resulted in the development oflocal and national initiatives that have saved a great many lives. Many of the recentachievements in understanding and preventing suicide around the world could not havebeen possible without your support and inspiration.

On behalf of IASP, its member organizations around the world, and personally, dearJosé, THANK YOU so much!!! We are looking forward to your continued achievementsin suicide prevention, but now as a member of IASP. We are all proud to be associatedwith you.

Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D. [email protected]

Bridgend suicide clusterIn recent weeks discussion of suicide in the United Kingdom has beendominated by the Bridgend suicide cluster. On the 7th February 2008,Madeleine Moon MP secured a debate on suicide prevention strategiesin the UK Parliament following the worrying increase in suicides in theWelsh town of Bridgend and wider county. Seventeen young people arethought to have ended their lives in the past year.She highlighted that "the suicide rate for young males in Wales is nearly35% higher than that compared to England, and there were 40 deathsin Bridgend since 2006 with open verdicts." These recent deathshave raised a number of issues, including the limited evidencefor effective youth suicide prevention initiatives and the role ofthe media in the development of suicide clusters.Indeed, the overwhelming local, national and international media coverageled to calls from those bereaved as well as from professionals for the media to exercise restraint(including a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission) and calls for the media to adhereto the published guidelines on the reporting of suicide.A comprehensive local suicide prevention strategy for Bridgendhas now been developed and the Welsh Assembly’s Health Ministerhas accelerated the development of a national suicide preventionstrategy (following Choose Life, Scotland’s national strategy)which should be published in a matter of months.

Rory O’Connor IASP National Representative – United Kingdom"Rory O'Connor" [email protected]

Dr Bertolote lecturing and working at the XXIVth IASP Congress in Killarney, Ireland in September 2007

Changes to the IASP BoardNew Chair of the Council of OrganisationalRepresentatives Dr Jerry Reed, Director ofSpan USA has been elected to the IASP Boardas Chairperson of the Council of Organiza-tional Representatives. Dr Reed plans tocontact all organisations which belong toIASP to solicit information about what therepresentatives require from IASP, and inparticular, to ask the representatives to advisewhat they would like at the IASP Congressin Montevideo in 2009. Dr Reed may becontacted at [email protected]

ResignationProfessor Mark Williams has resignedfrom the IASP Board for personal reasons.Under the current IASP Constitution, whena Board member resigns in mid-term thereis no provision for a replacement to be electedor appointed, unless there are at least threevacancies. The IASP Board will be proposingto the members possible changes to theconstitution to provide for a replacement.The proposal will be sent to all members andplaced on the agenda at the next AnnualGeneral Meeting in Montevideo in 2009

World Suicide Prevention Day10th September 2008The theme for World Suicide Prevention Day2008 is "Think Globally. Plan Nationally.Act Locally". This phrase, first used by themovement to save the environment, canequally well be applied to suicide prevention:

• to develop global awareness of suicide as a major preventable cause of prematuredeath,

• to describe the political leadership and policy frameworks for suicide preventionprovided by national suicide preventionstrategies,

• and to highlight the many practical prevention programmes that translate policy statements and research outcomesinto activities at local, community levels.

A detailed information brochure for WSPD2008 will be available in April on the IASPweb site: www.iasp.info

New IASP websiteA new, updated and expanded IASP web sitewill be appearing in the coming months, atthe address: www.iasp.infoThe site will first put online in English, to befollowed by a French site, with Spanish tofollow later.

U N I T E DK I N G D O M

London

BridgendW A L E S

NEWS


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In Italy I have organised a number of

major events for suicide prevention in my role of IASP National represen-tative. The first World Suicide Prevention Day was launchedin Italy in 2005. This included a sym-posium held inRome in September with the motto "Suicide preventionis everybody's business". This event was accompaniedby interviews released to the media and publications andeditorials in news-papers and national and internationaljournals.

Other events were organized in central Italy. Theseactivities included symposia to educate mental healthprofessionals, social workers and crisis centerpersonnel. An important breakthrough to developa national strategy to study and prevent suicide wasthe establishment of a partnership with the ItalianHealth Institute which is the official institution forthe supervision of health programs in Italy. Jointefforts were continued with an official nationalcongress in Rome in May 2006 where a symposiumwas dedicated to suicide prevention (chaired by

Prof. Tatarelli). During the summer 2006 a numberof events were organized to provide information topsychologists, physicians, residents and mentalhealth professionals working in the Roma area.In September 2006 we celebrated World SuicidePrevention Day as well as the National SuicidePrevention Week 2006 with conferences and sym-posia. I also organized events for Italy for WorldMental Health Day 2006 (October 10th) dedicatedto suicide prevention.

Seminars for undergraduates at the II MedicalSchool of Sapienza University of Rome focused onearly intervention and stigmatization of suicide. InFebruary 2007 we hosted a conference in Rome onwhy people commit suicide. This included DavidLester's presentation on Katie's diary and discussionof research priorities in suicidology. I organized aworkshop on psychological pain in suicides andsurvivors at the 15th Congress of the Associationof European Psychiatrists (March 2007). I conducted,with colleagues, the first Italian validation study ofthe Beck Hopelessness Scale. We also focussed onincrasing understanding of suicide in militarypersonnel and police officers. Events to educate and

promote awareness were organized in variouslocations, and were very much appreciated by crisiscenters, self-help groups and agencies that providesupport to the mentally ill and to survivors of suicide.

Due to the increasing awareness of suicide prevention,stimulated by all of these recent activities, theMinistry of Health will develop suicide preventionguidelines which will be distributed in all healthenvironments, and as IASP national representativeI have been invited to contribute to these.

Maurizio Pompili, M.D. IASP National Representative - [email protected]

National suicide prevention activities: ITALYRoma

Rome

I TA LY



President:

Vice President:

Vice President:

Prof. Brian Mishara



Treasurer:

General Secretary:

National Rep:

Organisational Rep:



Dr Murad Khan

Dr Jerry Reed


J U N E 2 0 0 8

FROM THE PRESIDENT

I first met Andrej Marusic in 1998 when we bothattended a management course for SpecialistRegistrars at the Maudsley Hospital, London.I was immediately struck by his crocodile leathershoes and the questions he threw at the facilitators!At tea break we introduced ourselves and discovered,to our amazement, we were both interested in suicideresearch and our articles, had appeared in the samelatest issue of Crisis that I happened to be carryingin my briefcase that day! That was the start of ourfriendship that lasted till Andrej’s tragic death onJune 1, 2008.

Andrej was a remarkable person. I was attracted tohis down to earth, unpretentious, genuine andgenerous side of personality. His smile, his intellect,his creativity, his energy and his enthusiasm wereinfectious. People who met him could not help butbe taken in by his charm and style. His sense ofhumor would disarm even the most stoic amongstus. He would light up any meeting in which he waspresent.

He became a member soon after I introduced himto IASP and immediately made a huge impact onthe organisation. He led the IASP Task Force onsuicide and genetics. He was a prolific writer andpublished regularly in Crisis and other high qualityjournals. He came up with the idea of a conferenceon Gene-Environment Interaction in Suicide, whichhas now become a regular feature. His ability toorganize high quality symposia and gather topresearchers in suicidology from all corners of theworld was unmatched.

We both left the UK at about the same time. I cameback to Karachi, Pakistan, he to his native Slovenia,where he became Director of The Institute of PublicHealth in Ljubljana. We kept in regular email andphone contact. Apart from discussing suicide re-search we regularly exchanged news of our respectivefamilies. He was a dedicated family man and toldme that whatever he was doing in life was to securea better future for his children and that if his familywas unhappy everything else was meaningless.

When he was diagnosed with cancer about two yearsago, he took it in his stride and went about with thesame degree of enthusiasm and aplomb in treatingit as he would any of his numerous research projects.

When I met him in Killarney at the IASP Congressin September 2007, I was a little apprehensive, asthis was going to be my first meeting since hisillness was diagnosed. I needn’t have been.

What I found, instead, was an Andrej buzzing withexcitement of even more research ideas and how tocarry them forward. The illness, he told me, did notbother him at all except when he was laid low for aday or two following the chemotherapy.

I was due to meet him again at a meeting in Sorrentoin Italy on 18th of May. He had come up with thisinteresting idea of gathering a few people for a retreatto write an article on the Future of Suicidology.I looked forward to seeing him again. Sadly it wasnot to be. We heard he was too ill to travel. Uncha-racteristically, my emails and text messages remainedunanswered. Ten days later he had passed away.

The world of suicidology may be poorer by Andrej’suntimely loss but as we mourn his death let us alsocelebrate his short but remarkable life. The scoresof young suicide researchers he inspired in Sloveniaare a lasting testament to his enduring legacy.He was like ‘a meteor, shot on the firmament (ofsuicidology) and vanished, likewise, after a briefspell of dazzling effulgence’.

Our prayers are with his wife Katja and his lovelychildren Maj and Kara. May God give them thestrength to bear this irreplaceable loss.

Rest in peace dear friend.

Murad M KhanProfessor of Psychiatry, Aga Khan UniversityKarachi, PakistanChair, Council of National Representative, IASP

World Suicide PreventionDay 2008: Think Globally,Plan Nationally, Act Locally

Those of you who have visited the IASP website lately at www.iasp.infohave probably noticed that we are in a transition phase. The old websiteposted in Norway at the University of Oslo address (with the kindsupport of Lars Mehlum) is soon to be taken off line and the newlydesigned and constantly expanding site will de developed to becomea key source of information on suicide prevention worldwide. If youpull down the main menu under "Activities" on the new site and clickon World Suicide Prevention Day you will find down-loadableinformation flyers in English, French, Spanish, Italian and, soon, inChinese. For those of you who are looking for ideas, descriptions ofmany activities held around the world in previous years are availableon the website.

This year we will again be launching World Suicide Prevention Daywith a public symposium at the United Nations headquarters in NewYork, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) U.N.office. This symposium is open to the general public. More informationon the Symposium will be posted on the IASP website when availableand it will also be sent to members in the New York City area.This year, WHO will be represented by Dr. Jorge Rodriguez of thePan-American Health Organization (PAHO). As in previous years,Dr. Rodriguez and I will be invited to attend the noon press briefingat the United Nations to talk with journalists around the world aboutthis important event. If you will be in New York on September 10thand would like to attend, please send me an e-mail and I will keep youinformed as plans develop.

The topic this year "Think Globally, Plan Nationally, Act Locally"focuses on the global burden of suicide, effective prevention strategiesaround the world and collaborative international models. At the nationallevel, we emphasize the need to develop, implement and evaluate colla-borative national policies on suicide prevention. However, we are keenlyaware that it is at the local level, and often as a result of communityinitiatives, that effective suicide prevention activities are undertaken.

The number of activities held around the world on World SuicidePrevention Day is expanding exponentially. If you enter "World SuicidePrevention Day" in a Google search you get about 270,000 hits. Thevariety of activities around the world posted online is impressive,ranging from candlelight memorial ceremonies to rock concerts; fromvolunteer recruitment to medical education. Please let us know aboutactivities you will be conducting (send details [email protected]). We will again be posting a sampleof 2008 activities around the world on the IASP website.

I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the European Symposiumin Glasgow at the end of August and at the Asia Pacific RegionalConference in Hong Kong October 31st – November 3rd. Several IASPTask Forces will be meeting during those events. Please do not hesitateto let me know your thoughts about how IASP can best continue itswork in understanding and preventing suicides world-wide and reducingthe impact of suicide.


ANDREJ MARUSIC, 1965-2008


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12th European Symposium on Suicide and SuicidalBehaviour 27th - 30th August 2008 Glasgow - Scotland




The 2nd Announcement is available at http://www.hamptonmedical.com/

pdf/2008/esssb12/announcement.pdf Registration is now open.





The IASP National Representativefor Italy, Dr Maurizio Pompili, wasthe recipient of the 2008 AmericanAssociation of Suicidology ShneidmanAward for suicid research. Drs Pompiliand Shneidman are pictured below.

The American Association of Suicidology (AAS)was founded by clinical psychologist Edwin S.Shneidman, Ph.D. in 1968. After co-directing theLos Angeles Suicide Prevention Center (L.A.S.P.C.)since 1958, Dr. Shneidman was appointed co-director of The Center for Suicide Prevention at theNational Institute of Mental Health (N.I.M.H.) inBethesda, MD. There he had the opportunity toclosely observe the limited available knowledge-base regarding suicide. Consequently, under thesponsorship of the National Institute of MentalHealth, N.I.M.H., he organized a meeting of severalworld-renowned scholars in Chicago, determinedthe need for, and fathered, the national US organi-zation devoted to research, education, and practicein "suicidology," and advancing suicide prevention(www.suicidology.org).

NATIONAL UPDATE AustraliaAustralia’s suicide prevention efforts are guided by ourNational Suicide Prevention Strategy, which is operationalisedthrough the recently-revised Living Is For Everyone (LIFE)Framework. The National Suicide Prevention Strategyemphasises the development of evidence-based interventionsfor groups at high risk of suicide, including people withmental illness, people who self harm, Indigenous Australiansand people bereaved by suicide. It also targets geographicareas with particularly high suicide rates, by resourcing thedevelopment of models of suicide prevention that involvelinkages to existing support systems (e.g., mental healthprograms).

At the end of 2006 a series of community-based projectswere funded which explicitly targeted at-risk groups andgeographic areas of apparent need. Many of these projectshave been managed by non-government organisations orcommunity groups. These projects have undergone ongoingevaluation and appear to be performing well. Most are dueto wind up in mid-2009, at which point future funding pathwayswill be examined.

More recently, several national initiatives have been announced.Key among these is an endeavour which builds upon anexisting mental health program which is operating across thecountry. Known as the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Careprogram, this offers, amongst other things, opportunities forgeneral practitioners to refer patients with depression andanxiety to psychologists and other allied health professionalsfor 6-12 sessions of evidence-based mental health care.The new initiative will extend this so that general practitionerscan refer suicidal patients for highly specialised care, also delivered by allied health

professionals.

EDITOR SEARCH Suicide andLife-Threatening Behavior (SLTB)Applications are invited for the position of Editor-in-Chief for Suicide andLife-Threatening Behavior (SLTB), the official journal of the AmericanAssociation of Suicidology (AAS) and the leading international journal inthe field of suicide studies.

Devoted to emergent theoretical, clinical, and public heath approachesrelated to violent, self-destructive, and life-threatening behaviors, SLTB ispublished six times per year (electronic and hard copy), with a subscriptionbase of over 2,000. It is indexed in Index Medicus/MEDLINE, PsychINFO,PubMed, and Social Sciences Citation Index, among others. SLTB has beencontinuously published for 38 years.

The successful candidate will be an active author of scientific articles withdemonstrated national leadership in the field of suicidology. Candidatesmust have earned a M.D., Ph.D., or terminal degree with a minimum of10 years experience in their field. The editor receives an annual stipend andserves on the AAS Council of Delegates (must be or become a member ofAAS). The term of office is 5 years.

Interested candidates should submit a curriculum vitae and brief letterof interest by June 30, 2008 to: Cheryl A. King, Ph.D., ABPP, Chair,SLTB Search Committee, Department of Psychiatry, University of MichiganRachel Upjohn Building, 4250 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan48109-5765.

Applicants may also send application materials or requests for informationto: [email protected]. Candidates chosen as finalists will be invited tosend additional information, including a vision statement for the journal.

'Forward Together'Befrienders WorldwideConferencein Jomiten, Thailand,25-28 October 2008www.befrienders.org/link/externaldelegates.html

Jane PirkisIASP National representativeAustralia [email protected]



President:

Vice President:

Vice President:

Prof. Brian Mishara



Treasurer:

General Secretary:

National Rep:

Organisational Rep:



Dr Murad Khan

Dr Jerry Reed


J U L Y 2 0 0 8

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Considerations on linking suicidewith violence and other topics

Suicide is often associated with or subsumed under other seemingly "more general" topics, such asInjury Prevention or Mental Health. The basic assumption is that suicide is a specialized sub-set of amore general overriding domain. Killing oneself can be seen as just one of many ways one can sustaininjuries; suicidal behaviours may be viewed as one of many consequences of living with a mental dis-order. Sometimes suicide prevention is considered as part of what some may consider strange bedfellows.For example, WHO considered suicide in the unit that dealt with Brain Disorders; anti-abortioncampaigners in the United States have embraced suicide prevention workers as brethren working forthe same cause; and in some schools suicide prevention is assumed by nurses as part of their "personalhygiene" classes.

Sometimes the desire to place suicide within a "larger" phenomenon is motivated by a theoreticalposition that can be well defended. However, it is often the case that where suicide is "housed" reflectsa political reality with financial consequences. Suicide prevention money may be spent very differentlyif it is handled by medically oriented mental health planners or by public health workers who favourprimary prevention over interventions when the risk is already high. It is sometimes quite a challengeto sort out the motivations and implications of placing suicide in one or another camp.

I was inspired to write this column in the midst of teaching at the "5th Francophone Summer Universityon Public Health" in Besançon, France. In past years there was a course on suicide. However, this yearthe wisdom of the organizers, in collaboration with the Francophone International Network on SafelyPromotion and Trauma Prevention, decided that they would merge suicide in a course on "Preventionof violence and suicide in youth." Freud would probably have been content. As Menninger and otherfollowers elaborated, externally focussed violent acts can be viewed as alternatives to self directedsuicidal impulses. In the most simplistic analysis, increased violence should be related to decreasedsuicide, and vice-versa. Although the data tend to support the opposite view, that increased violenceis associated with increased suicidal behaviours, the linking of suicide with violence seems to makesome sense. Some violence researchers point out that suicide is just one of many violent acts.But, are all suicides truly violent? Are there advantages to viewing suicide as a special form of violence?

Perhaps a closer association between suicide and violence would bring more attention (and funding?)to suicide prevention. Although more people worldwide die by suicide each year than die in all wars,terrorist acts and murders combined, our media focuses by and large on people killing others. "Self-murder" is of much less concern than wars, terrorism and homicides. Perhaps this is a hold-over fromcondemnations of suicide and the feelings of shame associated with suicidal behaviours. Perhaps itis the association with mental illness that leads to minimizing the importance of suicide. EnoughHollywood films tell us that "normal" people commit other acts of violence and murders by Hollywoodheroes are often glorified. It is only the murders by the "bad guys" that we need to prevent.

I still feel uncomfortable whenever suicide is subsumed under another topic, be it mental health, injuryprevention or the prevention of violence. A defining characteristic of suicidal behaviours is the multiplicityof influences. Suicide has many dimensions and limiting the focus to one perspective ignores thecomplexity of suicide and results in a myopic view of the many opportunities for suicide prevention.The IASP membership and the interdisciplinary content of our scientific programmes at IASP congressesexemplify the wide range of opportunities for understanding and preventing suicide. Biology, genetics,anthropology, sociology, public health, and a vast range of psycho-social perspectives have complementaryimplications for treatment and prevention. Still, I am a realist. I know that there can be practical advantagesto housing suicide prevention in mental health or other "general" areas. Teaching a course on suicideand violence is also a fascinating exercise. But at heart, I know that there are important limitationswhenever the complex phenomenon of suicide is reduced to "just a sub-category" of whatever topic.The rich complexity of suicidal behaviours is generally compromised whenever this occurs.


Dear IASP Colleagues,I am writing to introduce myself as the newly elected Chair of the Councilof Organizational Representatives to the Board of the International Associ-ation for Suicide Prevention. I hold a Master of Social Work degree inAging Administration and recently completed my Doctor of Philosophy inHealth Related Sciences with an emphasis in Gerontology focusing on older adult suicide.I have been active in the field of suicide prevention in the United States for the past eleven years.

As Chair of the Council, it is my intention to build a working relationship with current organi-zational representatives during my tenure on the board, encourage other organizations to joinIASP, and to listen to your comments and suggestions for our association and represent themwell to the board and full membership. I believe that as organizational members of IASP we areuniquely positioned to inform our international suicide prevention colleagues by sharing whatwe do from an organizational perspective by actively participating in planned trainings, symposia,conferences and through publication in our newsletter and journal. As a result, we would allbenefit from learning from others doing similar work in other nations.

To facilitate our dialogue, I would like to provide my contact information so we can communicatevia email. My email address is [email protected] . I would be pleased to hear from youon how you believe the association can be of value to organizations as we engage in our workaround the world dedicated to preventing suicide. I would also like to hear what you would liketo see on the program at our 2009 World Congress in Montevideo. I hope many of us willsubmit abstracts that highlight the work of organizations as the call for abstracts is released.

There are many exciting opportunities being planned to come together as colleagues in themonths and years to come. Our first opportunity will be in Glasgow, Scotland at the 12thEuropean Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour being held 27-30 August 2008. Formore information visit the conference website at http://www. esssb12.org/ . Following thisevent will be the 3rd Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association for SuicidePrevention to be held in Hong Kong between the period 31 October – 3 November 2008. Formore details visit the conference website at http://csrp.hku.hk/ iasp2008/. And of courseplanning is well underway for the XXV IASP World Congress being held in Montevideo, Uruguayduring the period 27-31 October 2009. Having attended my first World Congress in Killarney,Ireland, I am very much looking forward to attending and spending time with suicide preventioncolleagues from around the world. It provides a great sense of "community" giving us eachstrength and encouragement as we return to our home nation to continue our important work.I plan to attend all three gatherings and hope we can meet in person at the events you areplanning to attend. I will arrange an opportunity at each venue listed above for organizationalmembers and prospective members to meet and provide input that can inform the future workof IASP. I will advise you in due course of the dates, times and venues of these meetings.

As organizational members of IASP I hope we can work closely in the days to come to advanceour collective capacity to reduce the burden of suicide and suicidal behaviour around the world.I look forward to the opportunity of working with each of you during my tenure as Chair of theCouncil of Organizational Representatives.

Best,Jerry Reed, Ph.D., MSWChair, Council of Organizational RepresentativesInternational Association for Suicide Prevention

Prof. Andrej Marusic TrustThank you! Prof. Andrej Marusic's colleagues would like to thankeveryone for the kind messages they received in the weeks after he died.Many people asked that their condolences be passed on Prof. Marusic'sfamily. His colleagues have prepared a book of condolences, which is to be sent to Andrej's wife,children, mother and brothers. Andrej's family members would also like to thank everyone fortheir sincere condolences and they and Andrej’s colleagues want you to know that the supportand warmth they have received is giving them all the strength to go on.The "Prof. Andrej Marusic Trust" has been established to continue research in suicidal behaviourand mental health. Details of the trust follow:

"Prof. Andrej Marusic Trust", Zavod Celjenje, Vojke Smuc 12, 6000 Koper, Slovenia, EU Bank: Unicredit Bank, Smartinska 140, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, EU IBAN: SI56290000055337678 SWIFT: BACXSI22

From: Andrej's researchers and colleagues

A N D R E J M A R U S I C ,1 9 6 5 - 2 0 0 8


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Epidemiological profileEncouragingly, suicide rates in Hong Kong have beensubstantially reducing from a peak in 2003, 18.6 per100,000 people, to less than 14.0 per 100,000 in 2007.However, suicide is still one of the leading causes of death,particularly among people aged 15-24. Charcoal burningas a newly emerged suicide method in the late 90s hasswiftly proliferated to become the second most commonmeans of suicide in Hong Kong since 2001. The totalnumber of suicides by this method increased from 16(2%) in 1998 to its highest level at 325 (25%) in 2003,and now this issue has become a major public healthconcern in the Asia-Pacific region.

Together with other NGOs, stakeholders and governmentdepartments, the HKJC Centre for Suicide Research andPrevention, The University of Hong Kong (CSRP) has beenworking diligently in tackling the suicide problems froma multi-layered approach in the community including con-ducting research, providing training for front-line professi-onals, and producing educational materials for the community. Two of the CSRP’s programs integrated, multi-layeredapproaches to suicide prevention in Hong Kong include:

Postvention research and interventionfor survivors of suicideSince 2006, a three-year pilot multi-disciplinary project,which aims to develop, study, and evaluate evidence-based quality care, and to understand and identify bestpractice to help people bereaved by suicide in Hong Konghas been developed, funded by a local entrepreneur,Mr. Peter Lee.

This program is based on local and international experi-ences that not all suicide survivors develop complicatedgrief or suicid risk, but those who are at risk do not ge-nerally seek professional help. Thus, we established aprogram that cares for people bereaved by suicide at alllevel of needs. With support from the Department of Health,informational support, and immediate help are providedat public mortuaries. Structured psycho-educational groups,telephone follow-up and brief-psychotherapy are alsooffered to survivors with various levels of needs.

Community-based suicide preventionprojectA community-based, multi-agency suicide preventionalliance was formed within a community with a populationof 600,000 in 2006, with representatives from CSRP, HongKong Police Force, Social Welfare Department, Housing

Department, and the Pamela Youde Nethersole EasternHospital. The Working Group is chaired by the EasternDistrict Police Commander, and has developed a seriesof strategic suicide prevention initiatives and includessystematic evaluation of their effectiveness. Multi-levelstrategies include training for all front-line police officersby medical, psychological and social work professionals;development of a "First Responder Kit" for police officers,an information card and poster for public which containshelp line numbers; establishment of a new Police-SocialWelfare Department referral mechanism for attempters andfamilies of suicide; training for GP and teachers aboutearly identification of suicidal behaviours; and developmentof professional-led psycho-educational groups for bereavedfamilies.

The 3rd Asia Pacific RegionalConference of the IASPTo raise the importance of suicide prevention and to shareour experience in suicide prevention with others in theRegion, we have organized the 3rd Asia Pacific RegionalConference of IASP The theme is "Suicide Research andPrevention in Times of Rapid Change in Asia: Opportunitiesand Challenges". It is the wisdom of Chinese saying thatcrisis always comes with opportunity. Experts in all as-pects of suicidology, from those bereaved through suicideto those foremost in the field of research, will attend. Mrs.Selina Tsang, wife of the Chief Executive of Hong KongSAR Government, has also kindly agreed to become theConference Patron.

We have received very good responses to call for abstracts:150 abstracts of presentations representing 19 countriesand cities / regions have been selected. Topics vary fromscientific knowledge to practical skills, with all enhancingthe effectiveness of suicide prevention in the Asia Pacificregion.

Early bird registration will close on July 31, 2008.For more details, please visit the conference websitehttp://csrp.hku.hk/iasp2008/

I am looking forwardto seeing you inHong Kong.

Dr Paul S.F. YipIASP NationalRepresentativeHong [email protected]

Decreased suicide rates in Hungary: The paradoxof suicide reduction without preventionHungary’s suicide rate between 1968 and 1987 was the highest in the world but decreased markedlyfrom 1987 to 1988 (from 45.1 to 41.3 per 100 000) and has continued to decline steadily since then,reaching 24.4 in 2006. The origin of this decline is not clear, but it may have multiple causes.

• First, the decline cannot be explained by the increased use of SSRI antidepressants since commercialsales of SSRIs in Hungary began to increase in 1995, while the decline in the suicide rate beganmuch earlier.

• Second, the sudden decline in suicide rates in 1988 points to the possibility that a significant improvement in the political climate, and the hope associated with liberation from an oppressivepolitical regime, may have influenced the suicide rate.

• Third, drug-related deaths emerged during the 1990s and there are approximately 80-100 of theseeach year. Most of these deaths are probably not accidental, but, rather, voluntary overdoses (theterm used is "golden shots"). "True"suicide cases are very difficult to verify as such, but only those cases "beyond reasonable doubt" are registered officially as suicides.

Distinct regional differences remain an intriguing phenomenon in Hungary: For 160 years theSoutheastern part of the country (The Great Hungarian Plane) has had a suicide rate which is 2 to2.5 times higher than in the Northwestern part of the country. This difference persists to this day.

It is a pity that because of the political and economic situation in Hungary the problem of suicideprevention is of no more than marginal interest to the government. The "official" work of our HungarianAssociation for Suicide Prevention is virtually negligible: we assistin the preventive work of the civil organisations and the churches.We have written the Hungarian Suicide Prevention Plan, but it hasnot been implemented. Neverthless, and paradoxically, the suiciderate has halved in the last 20 years! I am not sure what this indicatesabout the need for suicide prevention programmes!

Tamás Zonda, MD PhDHungarian Association for Suicide PreventionNational Representative of IASP (Hungary)

Befrienders WorldwideConference, Jomiten,Thailand, 25-28 October 2008'Forward Together'www.befrienders.org/link/externaldelegates.html

COUNTRY REPORT: HONG KONG COUNTRY REPORT: HUNGARY



President:

Vice President:

Vice President:

Prof. Brian Mishara



Treasurer:

General Secretary:

National Rep:

Organisational Rep:



Dr Murad Khan

Dr Jerry Reed


A U G U S T 2 0 0 8

FROM THE PRESIDENT

IASP members can supporta suicide barrier on theGolden Gate Bridge

Since 1937 more than 1,300persons have committed suicideon the Golden Gate Bridge thatspans San Francisco Bay, inCalifornia. The Golden Gate BridgeDistrict, after years of study anddebate, has finally elaborated fivepotential designs for a barrier toprevent suicides. The potentialenvironmental impact of the fivedesigns has been compared with the "no build alternative" of maintaining thestatus quo, in a public document you can access on the web site:http://www.ggbsuicidebarrier.org Comments on the proposals are beingaccepted until 25 August 2008, after which the authorities will decide whether tomaintain the status quo or proceed and build a barrier. The current situation isthat there are 20 to 30 deaths by suicide on the bridge each year. An additional60 people are intercepted each year before a suicide attempt by a combinationof surveillance cameras, safety patrols by police officers trained in suicideprevention, access to 111 emergency crisis intervention telephones placed on thepedestrian walkways and special training of volunteer bridge workers.

Anyone who is aware of research on the effectiveness of limiting access to meansof suicide, as well as the specific studies of the impact of bridge barriers, knowsthat bridge barriers effectively prevent suicides by inhibiting people who are feelingsuicidal from completing their suicide (see the special Supplement to Crisis onControlling Access to Means of Suicide, Volume 28, 2007, and particularly AnnetteBeautrais’s article on "Suicide by Jumping: A Review of Research andPrevention Strategies," pp58-63). One would think that the Golden Gate Bridgeauthorities should have put up an effective barrier many years ago, and that nowthat they have developed some designs of potential barriers, it is just a matter ofdeciding which to put up and the tragic loss of lives by suicide on the bridge willbe stopped. However, it is still not certain that the "no build alternative" of doingnothing more will not again prevail. Although the cost of $40 to $50 million seemslike a reasonable expense (less than $39,000 per life lost to date), the report cites"direct adverse effects to the bridge historic defining features." This means thatthe bridge would not look exactly the same as in 1937 with an added barrier. Alsosome peregrine falcons who nest on the bridge could be disturbed during theconstruction and may even abandon their nests. Finally, 4 of the 5 proposalswould partially block the scenic view from the bridge while crossing it.

Any IASP members who feel strongly about building a barrier are invited tocomment on the proposal to build barriers by filling out a website commentform at: http://www.ggbsuicidebarrier.org/getinvolved.asp or by sendingan email to: [email protected] before 4:30pm on August 25,2008. Also, you can sign a petition to have the bridge authority choose a barrierrather than the "do nothing" option by visiting the site:http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/Raise-the-Rails-Save-A-Life

Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D. [email protected] A N D R E J M A R U S I C ,

1 9 6 5 - 2 0 0 8

ANDREJ MARUSIC INST ITUTEFollowing the untimely death of Professor Andrej Marusic,the Institute at the University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia,where Andrej worked as a Senior Research Associate, hasbeen renamed the Andrej Marusic Institute in his honour.

A public conference on Effective Activities toPrevent Suicides will be held at the UnitedNations Conference Room 1, United NationsHeadquarters in New York from 1 PM to3:30PM. IASP members are requested topublicize this event, which is open to the generalpublic at no charge. However, please note thatit is important to arrive early because of possibledelays in security screening to enter the UNHeadquarters building.

This public conference at the United Nationsfocuses upon promising prevention activitiesto prevent suicides. The American Foundationfor Suicide Prevention and the U.S. NationalLifeline network of telephone helplines joinswith IASP and WHO in the 2008 Conference.Activities: The conference would begin with ageneral introduction by Werner Obermeyer whowill represent the WHO UN Executive Director.Professor Brian Mishara, President of theInternational Association for Suicide Prevention,will present the general theme of World SuicidePrevention Day 2008 “Think Globally, PlanNationally, Act Locally” and will present an

overview of suicide prevention around the worldand activities being held on World SuicidePrevention Day 2008.WHO will be representedat the conference by Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, UnitChief of Mental Health, Substance Abuse andRehabilitation Technology and Health ServiceDelivery of the Pan American Health Organi-zation, who will speak on challenges in suicideprevention in Latin America. Dr. John Draper,Project Director of the U.S. National SuicidePrevention Lifeline will present on “The Roleof Telephone Helplines in Suicide Prevention.Professor Madeleine Gould, of ColumbiaUniversity will present on “School Based SuicidePrevention Programs.” Then Professor JohnMann of Columbia University and the AmericanFoundation for Suicide Prevention will presenton “The role of general practitioners in suicideprevention.” The presentations will be followedby a period of discussion and questions.

A list of initiatives and activities that havebeen undertaken around the world on previousWorld Suicide Prevention Days can be access-ed on the IASP website www.iasp.info/wspd/We encourage you to consult this list and seewhat others have done to publicise suicideprevention. Also, please fill outwww.iasp.info/activities_mailform.php to tellus what activities you plan for WSPD 2008.

An example for WSPD 2008 is provided fromAustria where Professor Gernot Sonneck hasadvised that the Viennese Crisis InterventionCenter has organized an international

conference on Suicide Prevention in coope-ration with the Austrian Society for SuicidePrevention (ÖGS). Lectures will be held onthe following topics: '30 years SuicidePrevention: the Viennese Crisis InterventionCenter', 'Suicidal Tendencies and PersonalityDisorders' and 'Suicidality of Elderly People',to give some examples. Intersting workshopson 'The Gender Gap in Suicide', 'Working withSurvivers' or 'How to Report on Suicide' canbe attended. Please visit the websitewww.kriseninterventionszentrum to findfurther information.

WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTIONDAY - SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2008Public Conference at theUnited Nations Headquarters

WORLD ACTIVITIES FORWORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY 2008

T H E G O L D E N G A T E B R I D G E


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After many years of the booming economy thepossibility of a slide into recession looms large.There are already talks of major cut backs inspending on public service and inevitably thiswill effect all aspects of the health services inIreland. Prior to this there was already a demandfor a ‘saving’ of 3 euros million on health spendingand an embargo on staff recruitment.

The Irish National Suicide Prevention Strategy‘Reach Out’ was launched in 2005 and the NationalOffice for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) establishedto coordinate the implementation of the strategy,and budgets were agreed for both. While the stra-tegy did not set any targets for suicide preventionthe Department of Health subsequently set a targetof a 10% reduction in suicide by 2010. The strategywas well received and generated a great deal ofinterest in suicide prevention. A sum of 5,500,000euros was promised for the first 3 years of thestrategy but to date only 3,500,000 euros hasbeen received. Consequently many worthwhileprojects will be curtailed or abandoned. Unfortu-nately, due to the recession, further cuts in thebudget allocation are expected and questions ariseas to the future of suicide in Ireland. It seems tome that the success of any suicide preventionstrategy largely depends of the appropriate levelof funding for the duration of the strategy.

An additional problem in suicide prevention arisesfrom the plight of the Irish Mental Health Services.‘Vision for the Future’, a policy document recomm-ending radical changes in our ailing mental healthservices, was launched some years ago. Additionalfunding of 50 million euros over two years wasallocated to kick start the implementation of theprogramme. Unfortunately much of this wasdiverted to other health areas by the Health ServiceExecutive (HSE). The embargo on staff recruitmentwill have a serious effect the number of psychia-trists, counsellors and other support services forsuicidal persons.

Of interest to many readers will be the ‘Reviewof General Bereavement Support and SpecificServices Available Following Suicide Bereavement’produced by Petrus. One of the conclusions wasthat ‘No clear and compelling evidence-basedjustification has been identified that suggests that

suicide bereavement support is sufficiently differentso as to require a standalone, dedicated response’.Comments on this would be welcome.

Reporting of suicide, in particular murder suicideof which there have been an unprecedented numberin Ireland in the past two years, remains a problem.

On a positive note there have been a number ofexciting joint projects between the two jurisdictionson the island of Ireland in suicide prevention andthe promotion of positive mental health in thepast few years.

In the last decade there has been a huge increasein the number of voluntary organisations involvedin all aspects of suicide prevention, both localand national, seeking a slice of the dwindlingrecourses available from the corporate sector, thepublic and statutory bodies. This has led to a greatdeal of costly duplication which needs to beaddressed. Among the long standing stalwartslike Samaritans, the National Suicide ResearchFoundation (NSRF), and the Irish Association ofSuicidology (IAS), a number of exciting newventures have come on the scene – these includeSpunOut, Console, Pieta House, Living Links,Headstrong, and Teen Line to name but a few.Following a successful 18 month pilot andevaluation, in 2009 Samaritans will add 'live'emotional support via SMS text message to its24 hour helpline services in Ireland.

In spite of all this gloom and doom there is, ingeneral, a lively and healthy interest in suicideand suicide prevention in Ireland and, hopefully,this will ensure that suicide prevention will be alive issue on the political agenda and sustain ourenthusiasm in working to reduce suicide .

John Connolly,NationalRepresentative,Ireland.

[email protected]

Befrienders Worldwide Conference,Jomiten, Thailand, 25-28 October 2008'Forward Together'www.befrienders.org/link/externaldelegates.html

COUNTRY REPORT: IRELAND COUNTRY REPORT: PAKISTAN

ROOM FOR OPTIMISM??? SUICIDE PREVENTION IN PAKISTANPakistan is a South Asian developing country with a populationof approximately 162 million. 97% population are Muslims.Suicide is a condemned act in Islam. In recent years, traditionallow suicide rates and the protective influence of Islam haveundergone a radical change and suicide has become a majorpublic health problem in Pakistan. The deteriorating economicconditions and increasing poverty and unemployment arebeing blamed for this rise. Despite this, there are no officialstatistics. Suicide is not included in the national annual mor-tality statistics nor reported to the World Health Organization(WHO). Under Pakistani law suicide and deliberate self-harm(DSH) are illegal acts, punishable with a jail term and financialpenalty. Many victims seek private treatment. Suicide andDSH are, therefore, under-reported in Pakistan.

Sources of informationInformation on suicide in Pakistan comes from newspapers,non-governmental organizations (NGOs), voluntary and humanrights organizations and from hospital-based studies on acuteintentional poisoning, DSH and forensic autopsies. Suicideappears to cut across all ethnic, provincial and rural/urbanboundaries and has been reported from almost all parts ofthe country.

Suicide rates/numbersWhile official rates of suicide are lacking, research conduc-ted at Aga Khan University, Karachi show the total number ofsuicides in Pakistan is probably in the range of 6000-7000/yearwith rates in different cities of the country as: 0.43/100,000/year(Peshawar 1991-2000), 2.86/100,000 (Rawalpindi, 2006),2.1/100,000 (Karachi, 1995-2001), 1.08/100,000 (Karachi,1993-95), 1.12/100,000 (Faisalabad, 1998-2001) and2.6/100,000 (Larkana, 2003-2004).

Age & GenderHighest gender-specific rates were: for men 5.2/100,000 inRawalpindi and Haripur; for women 16.7/100,000 in GhizerDistrict in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Suicide is mostlycommitted by young people most suicide victims are in theage group 18 to 30 years. An analysis of 5394 suicidesshowed poisoning (34%), hanging (26%), firearms (16%),

drowning (11%), self-immolation (5%) and jumping(heights, trains, moving vehicles) (1% each) as the mostcommon methods. Use of medications featured in only aminority. Organosphosphate insecticides were the mostcommon poisons.

Suicide preventionSuicide prevention remains a neglected area in Pakistan.A multi-sectoral approach that address both proximal anddistal factors is needed: low cost community mental healthprograms with suicide prevention integrated within them;psychological management of DSH; restricting availabilityof poisons and firearms; and school based life-skills pro-grams are ways of addressing suicide. The ‘criminalization’of DSH has lead to stigma, avoidance of health seekinghelp and of developing innovative prevention programs.There is a need to review the law so people can seekpsychological help without fear of authorities. Most suicidevictims belong to the lower socio-economic strata of societywhere poverty and unemployment are high. Hence there isneed for equitable and fair social policies to improve socialconditions in the country. Lastly, suicide statistics need tobe collected through a standard system so that informationobtained can be used for research, to inform policy anddevelop prevention programs.

Lack of resources, poorly established primary and mentalhealth services and weak political processes make suicideprevention a formidable challenge in Pakistan.

Murad M Khan,MRCPsych Professor,Department of PsychiatryAga Khan UniversityKarachi, PAKISTANIASP National repre-sentative for [email protected]



President:

Vice President:

Vice President:

Prof. Brian Mishara



Treasurer:

General Secretary:

National Rep:

Organisational Rep:



Dr Murad Khan

Dr Jerry Reed


S

E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Challenges in MediaAttention to Suicide

We live in a world where the media are preoccupied by wars, terrorism andhomicides.These topics are the major headlines daily. However, more peopledie each year by suicide than in all wars, terrorist incidents and murderscombined. Each year more humans kill themselves than are killed by others.Yet, the tragic loss of life by suicide receives very little media coverage comparedto wars, terrorism and homicides. For the sixth year, IASP is trying to call moreattention to suicide prevention on 10 September, World Suicide Prevention Day.This year we hold a public conference at the United Nations Headquarters inNew York and the IASP President is invited to the UN press briefing. Thejournalists are generally surprised by the annual toll of suicide worldwide andsome hunt for a good story with provocative questions, such as: "Are all suicidebombers mentally ill?" "Are Democrats in the US more suicidal than Republicans?"

Media interest in World Suicide Prevention Day provides an opportunity to callgreater attention to suicide prevention. However, as is clearly indicated in therecently published IASP – WHO guidelines, Preventing Suicide: a Resource forMedia Professionals, media reports on suicide can be associated with subsequentincreases in suicides. Thus, understanding the potential risks of producingperverse negative effects is an important challenge in drawing media attentionto suicide prevention on World Suicide Prevention Day. Is it possible that somemedia reports on World Suicide Prevention Day, rather than increasing awarenessof suicide prevention, could result in increases in suicides? One would certainlyhope not. All the research on the negative effects of media reports concerndepictions of specific suicidal behaviours, deaths and attempts, fictional or real.This contrasts with the focal messages that IASP tries to communicate to themedia: how to prevent suicides and the need for increased development andsupport of effective suicide prevention programmes, as well as help for personsbereaved by suicide.

Our greatest fear each yearis that some reporters willmiss the message, ignorethe guidelines and producereports that publicize suicides in a manner that risks producing increases insuicidal behaviours. However, thus far, the reporters have been generallyresponsible on World Suicide Prevention Day. They call attention to the problemand often focus on solutions and the need for greater implementation of suicideprevention strategies. This year we will also profit from the recent publicationof the updated media guidelines to inform reporters of best practices in reportingon suicide. Nevertheless, we still need to be keenly aware that there are risksof misguided media attention to suicide. Reporters vary greatly in their willingnessto implement the IASP – WHO guidelines and in their awareness of the potentialnegative consequences of some of their reports.

This year, I encourage IASP members, in their contacts with the media, todistribute the new guidelines and help educate reporters and other mediapersonnel on the importance of responsible reporting on suicide and theirpotential to play an important role in suicide prevention worldwide.

Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D [email protected]

IASP – WHO guidelines,Preventing SuicideMembers of the International Association for Suicide Prevention(IASP) Suicide and the Media Task Force recently revised the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) guidelines on reporting suicide, drawingon their collective expertise in suicide prevention and journalism.Like their predecessor, the new guidelines are not about censorship.They recognise that there are occasions when suicide will be newsworthy, and provideguidance on responsible reporting in these situations. The new guidelines provide a briefoverview of the evidence for media reporting of suicide leading to ‘copy-cat’ acts, and thenprovide 11 tips for media professionals faced with preparing a report on suicide.Specifically, they suggest the following:

The guidelines also provide some pointers on reliable sources of information. The new guide-lines are a joint publication of the WHO and IASP, and can be found and downloaded athttp://www.iasp.info/suicide_and_the_media.php All members of IASP will be senta hard copy of the new guidelines.


Join us in San Francisco forour 42nd Annual Conference!15–18 April 2009

Registrations and abstractsubmissions are now openfor the 27–31 October 2009XXV IASP World Congressin Montevideo, URUGUAY

www.iasp.info

Dr Jane Pirkis,CHAIR OF IASPMEDIA TASK FORCE

(1) Take the opportunity to educate the public about suicide;

(2) Avoid language which sensatio-nalises or normalises suicide, orpresents it as a solution to problems;

(3) Avoid prominent placement and undue repetition of stories aboutsuicide;

(4) Avoid explicit description of the method used in a completed or attempted suicide;

(5) Avoid providing detailed information about the site of a completed or attempted suicide;

(6) Word headlines carefully;

(7) Exercise caution in using photographs or video footage;

(8) Take particular care in reporting celebrity suicides;

(9) Show due consideration for people bereaved by suicide;

(10) Provide information about where to seek help;

(11) Recognise that mediaprofessionals themselves maybe affected by stories about suicide.


newsbu l l e t i n

Suicide prevention in NORWAYNorway got its National Suicide Prevention Action Plan in 1994 andsince then we have worked systematically with suicide preventionactivities both nationally and regionally. To begin with, these activitieswere organized as time limited projects, but from 2006/2007 onwardssuicide prevention was organized in permanent structures: In additionto a National Suicide Research and Prevention Center in Oslo, thereare suicide prevention teams working in 5 Regional Resource Centersfor Violence, Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention covering theeastern, southern, western, central, and northern parts of the country. Other institutions workingsystematically with suicide prevention in Norway are the Department of Suicide Research andPrevention at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, VIVAT (the national education programApplied Suicide Intervention Skills Training developed by LivingWorks Education in Canada),and LEVE (the national organization for those bereaved by suicide).

From the start, the suicide prevention activities have been organized around three main domains:systematic knowledge generation (research), systematic knowledge dissemination, and establishmentof systematic treatment and follow-up chains for suicide attempters. The number of researchprojects has increased considerably during the last years and covers a very broad spectrum ofthe suicidological field. Educational programs of different shapes and sizes, and for many differentgroups, are constantly being developed and implemented, both regionally and nationally. Nationalsuicide prevention conferences are organized every three years, and there are 1-2 regionalconferences annually in most of the regions. A national suicidological journal is published withthree issues annually. On the World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) there are national andregional events every year. At present, LEVE is responsible for organizing the WSPD activitiesin collaboration with the IASP national representative and the national center.

Of the current activities reported from the centers the following can be mentioned: Guidelinesfor suicide prevention in mental health care were published earlier this year and are now beingimplemented. Guidelines for follow-up of those bereaved by suicide are currently being developed.Some of the regions have also started aiming their work outside the health care system. Hopefully,such population based activities will increase in the years to come, since the main focus so farhas been on the health care system and towards some of the high risk groups (particularly suicideattempters). Many of the centers report an increasing demand for knowledge about cultural issuesin suicide prevention since Norway is becoming an increasingly multicultural society. In spiteof all these activities, not much has happened to the suicide rate lately. After about two decadeswith a continuous increase of the suicide rate (from the late 1960s), a top was reached in 1988after which the rate decreased. However, the suicide rate leveled out from the mid-1990s, and has

remained rather stable around 12/100 000 since then.


Quebec City, October 2008For more information, please check: www.aqps.info







Suicide prevention in URUGUAYUruguay has traditionally had high rates of suicidal behavior, particu-larly striking within the Latin American context since most countries inLatin America have relatively low suicide rates. Uruguay has highersuicide rates than some developed European countries, although lowerthan the Eastern European countries.

Until 2002 Uruguay had suicide rates which were consistent with theaverage international rates. However, in 2002, coincident with of one ofthe most important socio-economic crises in the country's history the suicide rate increased to21 per 100,000. In 2006, the capital (Montevideo) had a suicide rate of 14 per 100,000, and atthat time a national day for suicide prevention was proposed by the NGO, Ultimo Recurso.

More recently, in 2007 the suicide rate rose to 18 per 100,000, and suicide attempts increasedto 66.6 per 100,000. In 22 years, suicide rates in Uruguay increased 45.7%, while suicide attempts

increased 58.5%.

In Uruguay suicide rates are higher in men, and suicide attempt rates are higher in women,consistent with the typical profile in many countries. The risk of suicide increases with age,although suicide rates are increasing amongst young people aged 15 to 24. Suicide attempts aremore common in younger, rather than older, people.

In 2007, most suicides occurred by firearms and hanging, methods used mostly by men. Toaddress this, an initiative was begun by the current Ministerio del Interior which, in associationwith various NGOs, is trying to restrict access to weapons, as a way of environmental control and,indirectly, to prevent suicide. The most common method of suicide attempts in the female populationis by overdose of psychiatric medication. Our internal reality: Montevideo and the Interior of thecountry.

Within Uruguay, during 2007, the departments most affected by suicide were Rocha andTacuarembo. As a consequence the Mayor of Rocha asked for the NGO Ultimo Recurso to preparea Prevention Plan, which has been developed since March 2008 in the city of Castillos. From2004 in Montevideo, the Mayor along with Ultimo Recurso developed a suicide prevention planin the West Zone, the area with the highest rates of suicidal behavior. By 2007, the West Zone ofMontevideo had the lowest rates of suicide.

The 2009 IASP congress in Montevideo Uruguay will be an opportunity for many issues relatingto suicidal behavior in Uruguay to be discussed with our international colleagues.

Befrienders WorldwideConference, Jomiten, Thailand,25-28 October 2008'Forward Together'www.befrienders.org/link/externaldelegates.html

Dr Silvia PalaezDr HeidiHjemeland

Dr. Silvia PeláezDirectora de Ultimo Recurso and IASP national representative for [email protected]. Patricia Wels Operadora Telefónica de Último Recurso



President:

Vice President:

Vice President:

Prof. Brian Mishara



Treasurer:

General Secretary:

National Rep:

Organisational Rep:



Dr Murad Khan

Dr Jerry Reed


O c t o b e r 2 0 0 8

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Maybe what we don'tknow can hurt us

The old adage, “Look and thee shall find,” clearly explains importantgaps in our knowledge about suicide prevention. Researchers havesimply been looking mostly at certain populations and types of preventionactivities and almost ignoring others. A survey of research publicationson suicide (but not “assisted suicide”) in PsychINFO and PubMed from1 January to 31 December 2007 conducted by our centre's librarianEvelyne Pilon, indicated that some age groups and prevention methodsare clearly over and under represented.We know that worldwide, mostsuicides occur in adulthood and in most Western countries (where mostof the suicidology research is conducted) the elderly have the highestsuicide rates. Yet we find that 38% of the PsychINFO research publicationsand 37% in PubMed concerned teens and children under age 18. Thiscompares to 42% and 43% on adults and 19 and 12% on persons overage 65. When we examine what types of suicide prevention activitieshave been studied, we find that overall 46% concern evaluations of theeffectiveness of medications and only 6.5% assess psychotherapy and2.2% report on telephone help lines.

So, we know a lot more about preventing teen and youth suicides thantheir relative risk would seem to warrant. We also know a tremendousamount about which medications may be helpful in preventing suicideand, in comparison, very little about other prevention methods andinterventions. We can understand the plethora of medication researchbecause of the great investment in drug studies by the pharmaceuticalindustry. However, the popularity of studying youth suicide and theunder-representation of research on adults and the elderly can only beexplained by a greater interest in youth suicide prevention. One of theimportant challenges for suicide prevention is to attract more researchersto study the elderly and suicide in adulthood. Since the researchersthemselves are adults, one would think that they should be more inte-rested in their own peers (as well as what will occur with their peergroup as they grow old). However, popular publicity focuses upon thepreservation of youth and, as much as we may want to think thatsuicidology researchers are above such influences, the attraction ofyouth is prevalent in our field.

As for the dearth of studies of prevention methods other than drugs,finances cannot be ignored. Research on psychotherapy, social inter-ventions, internet and helplines is not easy to finance. Furthermore,organizations involved in providing volunteer services or those that arenot affiliated with a major university, are less likely to have the resourcesand a culture that promotes research on the services they offer. In orderto understand more about other prevention methods and their effective-ness, we need to incite non-traditional research milieus to becomeinvolved in research studies. We also have to entice researchers toexpand their horizons outside their research institutions and universitiesto study the wide range of suicide prevention activities that we findaround the world.


New IASP Task Force: EmergencyMedicine and Suicidal Behavior

While suicide researchers and policy analysts arepaying increasing attention to EDs as sites for screeningand intervention, traditionally, suicide prevention hasnot been a focus for emergency physicians and otherED staff. Emergency physicians are expert in the acutemanagement, resuscitation, and stabilization of suicideattempt patients. However, their expertise in EMS,toxicology, and medical aspects of disease has notalways extended to the management of psycho-socialproblems. Buy building collaborative bridges withmental health professionals, emergency staff can bettermanage suicide attempt patients and help stratify thosewho are at imminent risk.

For these reasons, there is a need a need for improvedcollaboration between emergency medicine and suicideprevention. To address this challenge IASP has conveneda new Task Force on Emergency Medicine and SuicidalBehaviour.

The Task Force has the following goals:• To improve linkages between suicide researchers

and emergency physicians and other ED staff;

• To develop sysytematic reviews of research about suicide prevention and emergency medicine (including screening, surveillance, interventions);

• To identify gaps in knowledge, to develop a researchagenda to address these gaps, and to encourage relevant research;

• To focus on developing research and interventionswhich are appropriate for both developed and developing countries, and to promote research whichcan be generalized from developed to developing countries.

• To identify, collect and collate guidelines for emergency department management of suicidal patients which have been developed in various countries, and examine and report on their content,development and implementation;

• To work collaboratively with emergency physiciansand other ED staff to develop and promote evidencebased recommendations for developing and implementing suicide preventtion activities in EDs.

• To assemble an international body of experts whichcan provide authoritative comment on issues regarding emergency medicine and suicidal patientsand suicide prevention.

Planned activities

The above goals will be achieved through the followingactivities:• We will develop a 'virtual network' of individuals

and organisations with an interest in suicide and emergency medicine;

• We will organise symposia on suicide and emergencymedicine at IASP congresses;

• We will develop a section on suicide and emergencymedicine on the IASP website to increase awarenessof IASP members about this issue, and

• We will develop a bank of experts to act as an inter-nationally recognised, IASP-supported spokesgroupon issues relating to suicide and emergency medicine;

• We will review and report on suicide and emergencymedicine research, and encourage international collaborative research on these matters;

• We will act as a clearing house for international guidelines on suicide and emergency medicine, andprovide summary information on their content andthe processes by which they have been developed and implemented;

• We will produce recommendations for developing and implementing suicide intervention and preventionactivities in emergency medicine.

Contact details

The Task Force will be chaired by Professor GregoryLuke Larkin, Professor of Surgery and Public Health,and Associate Director of Emergency Medicine at YaleUniversity School of Medicine. Co-Chairs will beProfessor Murad Khan, of the Aga Khan University inKarachi, a psychiatrist with a specific interest inemergency medicine in developing countries, andAssociate Professor Annette Beautrais, of New Zealand,an ED suicide researcher. IASP members interested injoining this Task Force are invited to contact the Chairor co-Chairs (below). People interested in joining theTask Force who are not yet IASP members are invitedto join IASP using the online submission form atwww.iasp.info A meeting of the Task Force will beheld at the XXVth IASP Congress in Montevideo October2009 (www.iasp.info). The Task Force will also organisesymposia on emergency medicine and suicide at thiscongress and invites researchers interested in presentingtheir papers in these symposia to contact the Chairsnow with their abstracts.

Prof. Gregory Luke Larkin Gluke ([email protected])

Prof. Murad Khan Murad ([email protected])

Associate Prof. Annette Beautrais([email protected])

There is emerging interest in Emergency Departments (EDs) as sites for suicideprevention prompted by increasing presentations to EDs for suicidal behaviourin many countries. In response, most national strategies for suicide preventioninclude an explicit focus on improving assessment, treatment and managementof people who present to the ED.

Dr Gregory Luke LarkinChair of the EmergencyMedicine Task Force

Please forward, distribute or disseminatethis newsletter to others to whom itwould be of interest


newsbu l l e t i n

ABOUT JAMAICAJamaica is the 3rd largest island in theGreater Antilles, ranking behind Cubaand Hispaniola, but ahead of Puerto Rico.Its population is 2.7 million at the lastcensus in 2001, comprising mainlypeople of African descent, with Chinese,East Indians, Syrians, Jews, Europeansand mixed races in the minority. Thecapital is Kingston.HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVEHistorians writing about the Middle Passage and other aspectsof the African slave trade have declared that the suicide rateamong these slaves was very high – some starved themselvesor threw themselves overboard before they reached the Caribbean,others deliberately tried escape, knowing that punishment quitelikely meant death.SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR IN JAMAICAA former British colony, the island became independent in 1962.Suicide was a relatively rare occurrence in the years followingthe abolition of slavery in 1938 up to the 1990’s. A study by Burkein 1985 found a suicide rate of 1.4 per 100,000. Towards the endof that period, the nation, which in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s hadbeen relatively stable and with a reliance on sugar, banana andbauxite as the main sources of income, experienced social changes – political, ideologic and economic which caused an increasingrate of violence – turned outwards as murder and inward assuicide. In fact, 1998 had the highest murder and suicide rate tohave been seen in the island.

A psychological autopsy study by Irons-Morgan in 1998 founda suicide rate of 2.8 per 100,000 – double that of 13 years before.By the year 2000, the rate was even higher, 3 per 100,000. Sincethen, the rate of suicide has not exceeded that of 2000, butmurders continue to increase. The male-female ratio of suicideis about 7 to 1, and hanging is the most common method, followedby firearms. Drowning, self immolation and taking of poison arealso employed.Suicidal behavior has also been studied. Sankar in 1995, foundthat there were significant psychological problems in persons whopresented over a three-month period. The factors found to be ofimportance in suicidal behavior included the presence mentalillness with major depression a significant factor. Precipitatingfactors were an argument just before the attempt, and financialand relationship problems. Females were more likely to demon-strate suicidal behavior. Medication overdose was the most com-mon method of parasuicide. Barnaby (2001) studied admissionsto the University Hospital of the West Indies over a 25 year periodand found that such admissions increased over ten-fold from the1970’s to 2001.CURRENT CONSIDERATIONSAcross the Caribbean, persons from adolescensce to 40 areincreasingly involved in suicide. Substance abuse is an importantfactor. Youth suicides are of concern as they occur at the timeof the 11+ or Grade six achievement test (GSAT). The studentstake an exam which if successfully negotiated allows them to goto secondary school. There is tremendous psychological pressureon them, as failure to pass the GSAT almost always dooms themto failure on the job market.Pesticide use is not a major problem, but does occur with generallyfatal results. The on-going education by the Agriculture ministryabout safe storage seems to have had good effect. On the otherhand, the use of household bleach as a suicide agent, seems tobe increasing among young women. In the last week alone twosuch persons were admitted to the Ear, nose and throat ward formanagement of the corrosive effect of the bleach.Cannabis is associated with suicide, as is seen in many inter-national studies. The use of prescription and over-the-countermedications continues and is the most common parasuicidemethod in Jamaica as well as other islands. Murder- suicide hasemerged as a serious issue over the last decade, with women thevictims of murder in the majority of cases. Males comprised94.2% of those committing murder, then took their own life.75% of murder-suicide cases occurred in rural areas.

Whenever there is a high-profile suicide or a perception ofsomething unusual about the situation, print and television goto extreme lengths to cover the event. The newly published mediaguidelines for suicide reporting will help to improve this situation.

2008 ConferenceJointly presented by theCanadian Association for Suicide Prevention andAssociation Québécoise de prévention du suicideQuebec City, October 2008For more information, please check: www.aqps.info

3RD ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF SUICIDE PREVENTIONSuicide research and prevention in times of rapid change in the Asia Pacific Region:Opportunities and challenges. 31 October – 3 November 2008, Hong Kong


Befrienders WorldwideConference, Jomiten, Thailand,25-28 October 2008'Forward Together'www.befrienders.org/link/externaldelegates.html

Join us in this special and important regional conference and join hand insuicide prevention. Further information on programme and speakers canbe found at: http://csrp.hku.hk/iasp2008/ Deadline of registration atregular conference rate has been extended to October 17. Limited seatsfor local students and local delegates are available, please register online

at https://www.fo-d.com/iasp2008/ immediately.For enquiry on conference registration, please contactconference secretariat at: [email protected] accomodations can be specially arranged.Please contact [email protected] for further details.

A report on suicide and suicidal behaviour in JAMAICA

Dr Lorraine Barnaby

REGISTRATIONS AND ABSTRACTSUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPENFOR THE 27–31 OCTOBER 2009XXV IASP WORLD CONGRESSIN MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY

www.iasp.info

CARRIBEAN SEA

Jamaica

Cuba

Ha i t i

Domin icanRepub l i c

Pue r toR ico

SOUTH AMERICA

Please send any news items, articles of interestor conference announcements for the monthlynews bulletin to the editor, Dr AnnetteBeautrais: [email protected]

3.5

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

Suicide rate/100,000

Murder-suicide rate/100,000

1992 19961994 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006



President:

Vice President:

Vice President:

Prof. Brian Mishara

Prof. Heidi Hjelmeland


Treasurer:

General Secretary:

National Rep:

Organisational Rep:



Dr Murad Khan

Dr Jerry Reed


N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 8

FROM THE PRESIDENT


JOIN A IASP TASK FORCETask forces play an importantrole in IASP’s contributions tosuicide prevention. They offerthe opportunity for the IASPcommunity of members, re-searchers, professionals, laypeople and volunteers to focusdeeply on a specific aspect ofsuicide and suicide prevention. There currently areseven very active IASP task forces targeting suicideprevention in the elderly, prisons, and defence andpolice forces, studying cross-national differences incertifying suicide deaths or the role of genetics insuicide, developing guidelines for media reportingof suicide, and supporting suicide survivors (seewww.iasp.info/ task_forces.php). In addition, onenew task forces are currently prepared, i.e. suicidalbehaviour and emergency medicine and the develop-ment of best practice standards for helplines.

IASP cordially invites its members to share theirknowledge and expertise with others by joining theseactivities, and thus contribute to IASP’s goal i.e.suicide prevention. In addition, members are invitedto propose new topics for task forces. An exampleof a possible new task force could be ‘Decreasingthe availability of means to commit suicide’, therebyaiming at developing guidelines for policy makersand mental health professionals. Members interestedin joining an existing task force may contact the TaskForce chairs (see list column right).Those interested in starting up a new task force cancontact Kees van Heeringen, IASP Vice President,via [email protected] .

IASP TASK FORCES AND THEIR CHAIRS:• Cross-national differences in certifying suicide

deaths: Paul Corcoran ([email protected])• Suicide prevention in the elderly: Annette Erlangsen

([email protected]), Sylvie Lapierre ([email protected])• Suicide and the media:

Jane Pirkis ([email protected]),R. Warwick Blood ([email protected])

• Suicide in prisons and jails:Marc Daigle ([email protected])

• Suicide in defence and police forces: Aaron Werbel ([email protected])

• Postvention:Karl Andriessen ([email protected]),Michelle Linn-Gust ([email protected]),Seán McCarthy ([email protected])

• The genetics of suicide:Dan Rujescu ([email protected])

• Emergency medicine and suicidal behaviour:Greg Larkin ([email protected]), Annette Beautrais ([email protected]),Murad Khan ([email protected])

• The development of best practice standards forhelplines: Dawn O'Neil ([email protected])

Kees van HeeringenIASP Vice President

REVISEDIASP/WHO MEDIA GUIDELINESPreventing Suicide: A Resource forMedia ProfessionalsThe updated 2008 media resourceprepared by the IASP Media Task Forceis now available and can be accessedand downloaded at: www.iasp.info

After decades of debate and over 1300 lives lost to suicidethe bridge authority approved for the first time the constructionof a physical barrier to prevent suicides. The board that controlsthe bridge opted for putting a metal net along the structurethat would partially collapse around anyone who jumped intoit, allowing rescuers to fish the person out without harm.Perhaps the letter from IASP and the IASP members aroundthe world who were invited to offer their opinion last Augustin this column may have had some impact on their decision.However, do not expect construction to start soon. Theconstruction is subject to an environmental review of the net’seffect on the pelicans and cormorants that nest on the bridge.Also, they have not yet obtained financing of the $40 - $50million cost.Asia-Pacific Regional ConferenceThe Third bi-annual Asia Pacific Regional Conference of theInternational Association for Suicide Prevention, held in HongKong on 31 October to 3 November 2008 included 119 oralpresentations on research and interventions in suicide preven-tion, and 52 poster presentations. Researchers, practitioners,planners, suicide survivors and volunteers from 18 differentcountries shared their recent discoveries and innovativepractices in a welcoming environment hosted by Paul Yip andhis dedicated staff of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre forSuicide Research and Prevention, The University of HongKong. The conference theme, “Suicide Research and Preventionin Times of Rapid Change in the Asia Pacific Region: Oppor-tunities and Challenges” was particularly appropriate in thecontext of the world economic crisis and was the focus ofattention of journalists who covered this event. The 2010 AsiaPacific Regional Conference will be held in Australia and weare currently open for proposals to host the 2012 regionalconference.Lottery for Free Hotel in MontevideoFor those of you who are planning to attend the 2009 WorldCongress on Suicide Prevention in Montevideo, I would liketo remind you of an opportunity to win a free complimentaryhotel stay at the congress venue, the Radisson Montevideo,during the Congress. Registration has just opened for thecongress and we are ready to accept early registration (at asubstantial discount). There will be a lottery of the first 50persons to register and pay their full registration fees: thewinner will receive a 4-night free stay at the Radisson duringthe congress. All you need to do in order to be eligible is tobe one of the first 50 persons to send in your registration withfees.

Golden Gate Bridge barrier approved,Asia-Pacific Regional Conference andlottery for free hotel in Montevideo

XXV IASP WORLD CONGRESSMONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY

27-31 OCTOBER 2009

The Second Announcement is now available:

www.iasp.info

LOTTERYA lottery will be

held with the prize

FOUR FREE NIGHTS

in a double roomat the Radisson Hotelduring the congress.The winner will bedrawn from the first50 people to completeand register with pay-ment for the congress.

XXV IASP WORLD CONGRESS


newsbu l l e t i n

SAMARITANSComparatively speaking, SouthAfrica, which is part of the AFROE region, appears to have highersuicide prevalence rates thanmany other African countries.Data from various studies providea disturbing profile of suicidalbehaviour in South Africa withrates of up to 19 per 100,000 of the population or higher

having been reported. It is considered that up to 11% ofall non-natural deaths in South Africa are due to suicides,and that for every suicide there are at least 20 attemptedsuicides. Based on this, estimates show that between5 514 and 7 582 South Africans die of suicide annuallyand that between 110 280 and 151 646 or more engagein non-fatal suicidal behaviour annually. Suicide is higheramong males than females, whereas non-fatal suicidalbehaviour typically occurs more frequently among femalesthan males. As is the case in some other parts of the world,there has been a shift in suicidal behaviour from the elder-ly to younger people in South Africa. The average age forsuicide is around 35 and non-fatal suicidal behaviourtends to peak in the second decade of life. Almost onethird of all non-fatal suicidal behaviours involve adoles-cents who make up the second most at risk age group forattempted suicide. When targeting prevention efforts, itis important to monitor these patterns on an ongoingbasis as evidence shows that suicidal behaviour in differentgroups within the country changes across time.

Suicide methods tend to differ across socio-demographicgroups. Hanging is usually reported as the most commonlyused method in suicide (typically accounting for between34-43% of suicides). Other methods used are firearms(29-35%), ingestion of poison (9-14%), gassing (6-7%),burning (2-4%) and jumping off buildings or other highplaces (2-4%). Regarding non-fatal suicidal behaviour,the overall choice of method in 90% of cases is overdose.A wide variety of substances is ingested, but over-the-counter analgesics, prescription only medications (notablybenzodiazepines and anti-depressants) are commonlyused, along with household utility products such asparaffin, cleaning agents, pesticides and various poisons.

In certain vulnerable groupsstress is a critical co-morbidaetiological considerationin suicidal behaviour. A numberof South African studies have clearlyidentified the role that family problemsand interpersonal conflicts play in suicidalbehaviour along with comorbid psychopatho-logical conditions (in particular mood disorders, alcoholand drug abuse) In addition, South Africa is experiencingan HIV/AIDS pandemic and several studies have reporteda potential link between suicidal behaviour and HIV/AIDS.

Although South Africa does have certain regional suicideprevention initiatives, a national programme is yet to bedeveloped. A recommended framework for such a nationalsuicide prevention programme, underpinned by inter-national and South African research, has recently beenpublished (Burrows & Schlebusch, 2008). Proposedstrategies are aimed at individual/family, community andsocietal levels as well as at educational institutions andstate level. Taking into account other research, this pro-posed future national prevention programme also includesan outline of goals, guiding principles and possible strate-gies specific to South Africa. South Africa is a develop-mental state that has undergone rapid transformation anddemocratization. Suicide prevention efforts, therefore,also need to take cognisance of the numerous stressesthat the country in transition presents to its people.Burrows, S. & Schlebusch. L. (2008). Priorities and PreventionPossibilities for Reducing Suicidal Behaviour in SouthAfrica. In: Seedat M, Van Niekerk A (Eds): Crime, Violence andInjury Prevention In South Africa. Data to Action. Cape Town:Medical Research Council, University of South Africa. pp173-201.

Professor Lourens [email protected]

A F R I C A


COUNTRY REPORT: SOUTH AFRICA

5th AESCHI CONFERENCE 4.–7. MARCH 2009

Hotel Aeschi Park, Aeschi, Switzerland

Special theme: to hospitalize or not to hospitalize?

www.aeschiconference.unibe.ch

The Aeschi Working GroupThe therapeutic approach to the suicidal patient:

New perspectives for health professionals

Samaritans is a Charity with 201 branches and al-most 15,000 volunteers across the UK and Republicof Ireland. The ultimate purpose of our work is tobring about a reduction in the number of people whodie by suicide and it's a vision that has changed verylittle since we were founded some 55 years ago.

Every year, Samaritans' helpline services handleapproximately 2.8 million contacts where there issome form of dialogue. People contact us via phone,email, SMS text messaging, letter or by dropping intobranches. The principles of all these services are thesame. Samaritans volunteers use active listening skills to encourage peopleto explore options that they may not realise they have. By encouraging peopleto talk we believe we can help them understand what they are feeling andhow they might move forward.

In addition to our support services, we estimate that our work in schoolsreaches about 101,000 young people every year and involves generalawareness talks and delivering lessons designed to change attitudes,improve skills and provide information. Further information on this workcan be found at www.samaritans.org/deal.

Samaritans also provides training to agencies whose employees maycome into contact with very distressed individuals. We have trained peoplefrom a wide range of backgrounds from over 140 agencies including emergencyservices personnel, health care staff and railway staff. Further informationabout our training services can be found atwww.samaritans.org/externaltraining.

Work that we currently have in development at Samaritans includes anew service designed to support school communities in the aftermath ofa suicide, a new technology platform which will allow us to integrate allour communication methods and answer more calls, an evaluation of theimpact of our services and increasing the ways in which people canvolunteer to support our work.

In short, we are a household name and we reach a huge number andrange of people but we are far from complacent. We have developed sucha level of trust and respect from the communities we serve that people willtalk to us about their deepest worries and their darkest fears. It is a privilegedposition we occupy but with that privilege comes a duty to strive to be better,to challenge what we do and to find new ways of bringing about our ultimategoal of reducing suicide.

JOE FERNSDeputy Director ofService Support

Please send any news items, articles ofinterest or conference announcementsfor the monthly news bulletin to theeditor, Dr Annette Beautrais:[email protected]

ProfessorLourens SchlebuschIASP national represen-tative for South Africa

Suicide statistics and prevention efforts

42nd AAS Annual Conference: A Global Agenda on

the Science of Prevention, Treatment, & Recovery

April 15 - 18, 2009 Westin St. Francis Hotel San Francisco, CA

SAVE THE DATE! JOIN US IN SAN FRANCISCO FOR:

• Skill-enhancing workshops • Cutting-edge researchpresentations • Best practices in prevention programs• Four full days of content • Over 150 presenters• Invaluable networking opportunitiesFor Additional Information: www.suicidology.org

• 202-237-2280 • [email protected]

Please forward, distribute or disseminatethis newsletter to others to whom it wouldbe of interest



President:

Vice President:

Vice President:

Prof. Brian Mishara

Prof. Heidi Hjelmeland


Treasurer:

General Secretary:

National Rep:

Organisational Rep:



Dr Murad Khan

Dr Jerry Reed


D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 8

FROM THE PRESIDENT


Suicide and the economic depression:Reflections on suicide duringthe Great Depression Diana Rucli – Director

IFOTES – InternationalFederation Of TelephoneEmergency ServicesRecently, journalists around the world have become

interested in possible increases in suicide due to thecurrent economic depression. They cite the supposedly“dramatic” increases in suicides during the GreatDepression. However, it is probably a myth that thecatastrophe of the crash of the stock market in lateOctober 1929 caused an epidemic of dramatic suicidesby distraught investors after they lost their fortunes.Suicide rates in the United States had been increasingeach year steadily since 1925 and only a slightlygreater increase in 1930 and 1931 may be attributedto the effects of the Great Depression (Mishara &Balan, 2002). Even for New York City, which may bethought to be particularly affected by the crash, thechanges in suicide rates were not dramatic and ratesthere were also increasing slightly before 1930. Therewas certainly not an immediate effect of the stockmarket crash in October 1929. The number of suicidesfor the months of October and November 1929 in theUnited States was lower than all the other monthsthat year except January, February and September.The greatest number of suicides in 1929 occurredduring the summer months when the stock marketwas doing quite well. The Manhattan suicide rates forOctober 15 to November 13, 1929 were lower thanthe previous year.

Despite the fact that there was only a slight increasein deaths by suicide during the Great Depression,there were certainly a few well publicized suicideswhich may have fuelled the myth of a suicide epidemic.One of the most publicized suicides was that of J.J.Reordan who killed himself on Friday, November 8,1929, but whose death by suicide was not announcedin the newspapers until Sunday, November 10. OnFriday, November 8, Reordan walked into the bank,took a pistol from a cashier, returned home and shothimself. It was later learned that the medical examinerwho was called to the scene withheld announcingReordan's death until after noon the next day (Saturday)just after the bank closed for the weekend. Despiterumours that Reordan lost a fortune in the stock market(which was later proven to be true when the death waspublicized), his colleagues announced that Reordannever invested in stocks and that the bank was finan-cially solid. There was also an announcement thatthe City of New York would maintain all its depositsin the County Trust Company. The end result was thathis suicide did not cause a run on the bank.

Several studies of the relationship between suicideand unemployment cover the period of the GreatDepression. Platt's extensive literature review (1984)of unemployment and suicidal behaviour found thatthere is a consistent relationship between levels ofunemployment and suicide rates during all periods.However, Platt's interpretation of the data was that

there may not be a direct causal link, but the increasedsuicide risk and unemployment may be due to mentalhealth problems. Persons with mental health problemsare at greater risk of suicide and are also at greaterrisk of being unemployed. However, his interpretationis subject to debate. Cook (1980) compared differentmethods of time series analyses to examine the rela-tionship between suicide and unemployment in theUnited States between 1900 and 1970. He concludedthat no matter which method is chosen, there is asignificant link between unemployment and suicide.

This brief review of suicide in the Great Depressionleads to the conclusion that, despite some highlypublicized spectacular suicides which are clearlylinked to personal financial losses, if suicide ratesdid increase as a result of the events during the GreatDepression (and this may not be the case since suiciderates were already increasing in the preceding years),the increases in suicides related to this economicdisaster were not dramatic in the United States.Themost likely explanation for increased suicide duringthis period is the well documented link between unem-ployment and suicide. However, the interpretation ofthis relationship is subject to debate. Unemploymentmay lead to greater social vulnerability, includinglesser social integration by decreasing the possibilityof marriage and increasing divorce rates. However,both unemployment and suicide may be the result ofincreases in other factors, such as stress inducedmental health problems. An alternative interpretationis that the presence of protective factors, such asdevelopment of social solidarity among vulnerablepersons, may have compensated for any increasedrisk due to the difficult economic situation. Anotherpossibility which has not been subjected to empiricalverification, is that people in a desperate situationmay tend to focus upon the needs of their family andloved ones. This focus upon the needs of others maybe a protective factor to suicide since most suicidesinvolve a primary focus on one's own suffering, ratherthan being concerned with the suffering of others.

References:Cook, T. D., Dintze Leonard, and Mark Melvin M. (1980), The causalanalysis of concomitant time series, Applied Social PsychologyAnnual, 1, 93-135.Edmondson, B. (1987), Dying for dollars, American Demographics,9(10), 14-15.Galbraith, J. K. (1954), The Great Crash 1929, Boston: Houghton-Mifflin.Mishara, B. L. and Balan, B. (2004), Suicide. In Encyclopedia of theGreat Depression. New York: Macmillan Reference, 948-950.Platt, S. D. (1984), Unemployment and suicidal behaviour: Areview of the literature, Social Science and Medicine, 19, 93-115.Stack, S., (1992), The effect of the media on suicide: The GreatDepression., Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 22 (2), 255-267.

IFOTES and its rolein suicide preventionIFOTES’ (International Federation Of Telephone EmergencyServices) history began in 1967 in Geneva (CH), when themain European National Federations of help-lines joined to-gether. Today it has 32 members in 25 Countries, with over500 hotlines; nearly 25,000 volunteer listeners carefullytrained; 600 professionals coaching the volunteers and lead-ing the help-lines; over 5 million phone and internet contacts every year; thousandsof face to face conversations.

One of the main objectives of IFOTES is to promote the exchange of experiencesamongst members, especially by organizing international congresses, seminarsand conferences which contribute to the quality of the services offered. It alsosupports all efforts to create listening centres worldwide.

IFOTES members’ hotlines started in the 50s, first closely related to suicideprevention. Further prevention was soon developed for those suffering from depressionor loneliness, or being in a state of psychological crisis. Today, they offer emotionalsupport to any person who simply needs to be listened to and be acknowledged,whatever his/her problem may be. The actual mission is to offer an empatheticlistening that helps the caller develop resilience and capability to better manage hisemotions.

Based on our experience, we are convinced that one of the most powerful ways tosupport people in distress, prevent suicide and develop emotional well-being is tounderstand with respect what others are experiencing, which is what we do everyday on the phone, and to promote listening skills amongst the population. This hasa direct impact on mental health and it refers to what is called “Emotional Health.”

Our members have been training volunteers with very different backgrounds for50 years; the volunteers come from all sections of society and are selected andtrained based on their ability to listen empathetically. Their experience testifies thatlearning communication skills such as listening, giving and receiving empathy, islife-serving, it improves coping skills and emotional well-being.

IFOTES, with the University of Geneva, has recently conducted ground-breakingresearch into the emotional profile of volunteers. This is both in terms of buildingup a general picture of the profile of volunteers worldwide, but also looking at theprofile of individual volunteers in relation to their helpline work, and their homeand family environment. The results of this research has been important for influencingvolunteer selection criteria, informing training needs and methodologies, in additionto exploring emotional resilience and wider well-being in society.

Working in collaboration with sister organisations LifeLine International and theSamaritans/Befrienders Worldwide, IFOTES wishes to improve the quality of thelistening services, develop new communication means and promote around theworld the awareness that learning and offering training in communication and copingskills will contribute to suicide prevention and improve mental and emotional health.

www.ifotes.orgwww.ifotescongress2007.org

If you are an organizational member of IASPand would like to feature the work of yourorganization in the newsletter please contactJerry Reed, Chair of the Council of OrganizationalRepresentatives for IASP [email protected] for criteria for publication.

AAS is a membership organization for allthose involved in suicide prevention andintervention, or touched by suicide. AASleads the advancement of scientific andprogrammatic efforts in suicide preventionthrough research, education and training, thedevelopment of standards and resources, andsurvivor support services.

Founded in 1968, the AAS has an illustrious history in suicideprevention activities and contributions. Bimonthly, AAS publishesthe world’s oldest peer-reviewed journal in the field, Suicide andLife-Threatening Behavior. In April, 2009, AAS will hold its 42ndannual conference in San Francisco, bringing together researchers,clinical practitioners, crisis workers, survivors, and others under atheme of A Global Agenda on the Science of Treatment, Prevention,and Recovery.

AAS’s Crisis Center Certification Program began in 1976 and,currently, has 141 crisis centers certified by AAS in the U.S., Canada,and Australia. Since 1989, AAS has certified individual crisis workers,as well. In 2008, AAS began accrediting school-based professionalsin its School Suicide Prevention Accreditation Program, designedto insure suicide prevention knowledge competencies among thoseworking with at risk youth in our schools.

For practitioners, AAS has developed the most advanced andextensive clinical training program, Recognizing and Responding

to Suicide Risk: Essential Skills for Clinicians (RRSR), which hasbeen given outstanding reviews by those who thus far have beentrained in it. In 2009, AAS will debut a targeted suicide riskassessment and triage training curriculum for primary care physiciansand staff.

Currently, AAS is working on three concurrent, federally-fundedgrants to study and prevent suicide on U.S. rail system rights-of-way and their impact on employees who witness or discover thesesuicides. It is intended that the identification of sites of highprevalence (“hot spots”), psychological autopsies, and root causeanalyses being conducted, will lead to significant countermeasuresto prevent such tragic deaths.

AAS has long convened task forces of researchers and specialiststo address significant issues in Suicidology and suicide prevention.These task forces have produced consensus statements on AcuteRisk Factors for Suicide, currently captured by the acronym/mnemonicIS PATH WARM; on Youth Suicide by Firearms; in addition to Dis-charge Planning Recommendations for Hospitals, Postvention Guide-lines for Schools, Recommendations for the Reporting of Suicideby the Media, Survivor Support Group Leader Guidelines, and aReport on Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia.

AAS greatly values its membership in IASP and actively supportsthe efforts of our international partners and members. For moreinformation, see www.suicidology.org.


newsbu l l e t i n

"The Way We Were"Many IASP members attended the ESSSB12 meeting inGlasgow in August 2008.More than 600 photos from the meeting are available atwww.flickr.com/photos/esssb12/sets/They are organised into sets according to the day(s) ofthe conference. Here's to ROME 2010!

5th AESCHI CONFERENCE 4.–7. MARCH 2009

Hotel Aeschi Park, Aeschi, Switzerland

Special theme: to hospitalize or not to hospitalize?

www.aeschiconference.unibe.ch

The Aeschi Working GroupThe therapeutic approach to the suicidal patient:

New perspectives for health professionals

Dr Lenny Berman

American Association of Suicidology (AAS)

XXV IASP WORLD CONGRESSMONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY

27-31 OCTOBER 2009

The Second Announcement is now available:

www.iasp.info

LOTTERYA lottery will be

held with the prize

FOUR FREE NIGHTS

in a double roomat the Radisson Hotelduring the congress.The winner will bedrawn from the first50 people to completeand register with pay-ment for the congress.

XXV IASP WORLD CONGRESS

42nd AAS Annual Conference: A Global Agenda onthe Science of Prevention, Treatment, & RecoveryApril 15 - 18, 2009 Westin St. Francis Hotel San Francisco, CA

SAVE THE DATE! JOIN US IN SAN FRANCISCO FOR:

• Skill-enhancing workshops • Cutting-edge researchpresentations • Best practices in prevention programs• Four full days of content • Over 150 presenters• Invaluable networking opportunitiesFor Additional Information: www.suicidology.org

• 202-237-2280 • [email protected]

Please forward, distribute or disseminatethis newsletter to others to whom it wouldbe of interest

In September 2008, Professor Brian Mishara,President of IASP, received the Special ContributionAward for his efforts in suicide prevention at the 2008 InternationalCaring for Life Awards and Inspirational Forum hosted by the DharmaDrum Humanities and Social Improvement Foundation (DDHSIF) at theGrand Hotel in Taipei. Taiwan's suicide rate is ranked the third in Asia, with4000 deaths each year. The awards and forum are held to draw publicattention to the value of life, and DDHSIF promotes the idea of "caring forlife" with the help of the media.

IASP Newsletters 2008

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Transcript of IASP Newsletters 2008