Press release for 10 September 2012

World Suicide Prevention Day or World Suicide Prevention Day (World Suicide Prevention Day) - international date, which is celebrated all over the planet annually, 10 september.

World Suicide Prevention Day is initiated by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (MAPS) with the active support of the World Health Organization and under the patronage of the United Nations.

According to the WHO, suicide is the 13th leading cause of death worldwide, and in the age range from 15 to 44 years, its importance rises to the fourth place. IN 2000 r. according to various sources from 815 thous. to 1 million. people all over the world committed suicide. There is reason to believe, that the reported suicide rate remains underreported by 20%, and in some regions of the world - by 100% as a result of prevailing social or religious views of suicide.

According to statistics provided by WHO, more people die from suicide in the third millennium, than all the wars and violent killings combined. In most economically developed countries of the world, suicide is among the top ten causes of death..

Suicide is a very significant moral and economic problem. World economic losses from suicide amounted to 1,8% the global burden of disease in 1998 r. and will make 2,4% To 2020 g., when the number of people, deaths from suicide will reach 1 530 000 in year. Approximately at 10-20 times more people commit suicidal attempts, which puts this form of auto-aggression on the 6th place among the causes of disability. Moreover, each case of suicide is associated with the experience of a severe traumatic reaction of grief by the family and friends of the person who committed suicide, whose lives this act affects emotionally, socially and economically.

Prevention of suicidal behavior is one of the most important tasks of society, the implementation of which is possible only with the integration of the efforts of many departments into a single preventive strategy. World suicide prevention day, as conceived by representatives of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, is intended to draw the attention of the authorities and the public to this problem.

The highest suicide rate in the Republic of Belarus over the past few decades (35,3/100 000 population) was registered in 1996 r. FROM 1996 r. by 2010 r. there is a steady downward trend in the suicide rate in the republic (on 27,1%).

On behalf of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Health, together with interested departments, developed a Comprehensive Plan for the Prevention of Suicidal Behavior in 2009-2012 the years. The responsible executor of the Plan is the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus., and its executors are many Ministries, regional executive committees, Minsk city executive committee, public organizations, religious denominations.

The Plan's activities included improving the efficiency of interaction between government agencies, public associations and organizations of various interdepartmental subordination on the prevention of suicides; activities to raise awareness of the population about the activities of services, subdivisions of state bodies, public associations, religious organizations, participating in the provision of various assistance to persons, caught in difficult life situations; coordination of the activities of psychological services of organizations of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection in identifying psychological problems among all age groups of the population and providing timely psychological assistance.

As a result, in 2010 r. in the republic was recorded 26,1 suicide cases on 100 thous. population. For 7 months 2012 r. in comparison with the same period 2011 r. suicide rate decreased from 13,8 to 12,6 cases on 100 thous. population (8,9%), including among the population of urban dwellers up to 8,3 cases on 100 thous. population (decrease by 10,6%), in the rural population - a decrease by 7,2% to 26,0 on 100 thous. population.

WHO's leading strategy to reduce the risk of suicide is to identify specific risk groups in the population, identifying specific problems and needs in each of these groups.. Usually, problems are always complex and require the same complex, interagency intervention: social protection and economic security, availability of psychological and medical assistance, awareness of people about the possibility of receiving specific help on a problem, specific for this risk group. The highest risk group for suicide in Belarus is older men 50 years. Such medical factors, like depression and alcohol addiction, significantly increase the risk in this subgroup.

A positive role in the prevention of suicides is played by an increase in the level of knowledge on the problems of crisis and suicides of those specialists, who come into contact with a large number of people (teachers, university teachers, social workers, psychologists, etc.).

Close relationship with medical risk factors (alcohol addiction) has a strategy, associated with the restriction of sales and strict control of advertising of alcoholic beverages. The effectiveness of such strategies has been proven in practice.: in the former Soviet Union, the greatest effect on reducing the level of suicide among men over the entire 20th century was demonstrated during the years of "perestroika", when the reduction in alcohol consumption during the anti-alcohol campaign was accompanied by a 40% drop in the suicide rate in this population group. Considering the fact, that alcoholization of the population contributes to the growth of suicidal activity of the population, systematic and purposeful work will continue to implement the measures of the State program to combat drunkenness and alcoholism in 2011-2015 the years, aimed at reducing alcohol consumption by the population of the Republic of Belarus.

If the main task of all doctors of medical specialties is the early diagnosis of suicidal risk and referral of the patient to a psychiatrist or psychotherapist (although the therapeutic intervention can begin already at this stage), then the main task of the narrow specialist is to provide a more accurate diagnosis of the disorder and risk and to provide adequate treatment. Adequate prescription of antidepressants is one of the prerequisites for effective reduction of suicidal risk.. Based on research results, covering the entire population of Sweden, Isacsson J. et al. (1996) came to the conclusion, that an increase in the frequency of prescribing antidepressants contributed to a decrease in suicide rates in 1,8 times among depressed patients. The same finding on the effect of increasing the prescription of antidepressants by general practitioners on reducing suicide rates was reached in a study on the island of Gotland..

Providing assistance to a person in a crisis situation is impossible without the participation of such specialists., as a psychotherapist and psychologist. The republic has ensured wide availability of psychotherapeutic assistance for the population., the procedure for the provision of which is constantly being improved.

Telephone lines for the provision of emergency psychological assistance "Helpline":

 

Minsk - for children and teenagers 8 (017) 246 03 03, 8 (017) 215 00 00 (around the clock), 8 (017) 290-44-44 (for adults).

 

In the Minsk region 8 017 2020401 (around the clock);

– Borisov 8 0177 734463 (13.00-15.00)

– Fork 8 01771 51498 (8.00-17.00)

– Volozhin 8 01772 55425 (8.00-19.00)

– Maryina Gorka 8 01713 60729 (8.00-16.00)

– Slutsk 8 01795 55333 (16.00-18.00)

– Soligorsk 8 0174 221122 (13.30-15.30)

– Columns 8 01717 54643 (8.00-16.30)

– Zhodino 8 01775 35102 (13.00-15.00)

 

In the Brest region:

– Brest 8 0162 40-62-26 (around the clock)

– Brest 8 0162 20-15-55 (around the clock)

– Baranovichi 8 0163 40-60-80 (с10.00 до 17.00 every day except weekends and holidays).

 

In the Vitebsk region:

– Новополоцк 8 0214 532375 (8.00-20.00)

– Polotsk 8 0214 432220 (8.00-20.00)

– Orsha 8 0216 210019 (8.00-20.00)

– Vitebsk 8 0212 43 22 93 (around the clock)

 

In the Gomel region: Gomel 8 0232 379191 (around the clock)

 

In Grodno region: r. Grodno UZ "GOKTs" Psychiatry-Narcology "" 8 (0152) 757515 (around the clock)

 

By Mogilev region:

– ME "ME" Mogilev Regional Psychiatric Hospital " 8 (0222) 47 31 61 (around the clock);

– ME "Mogilev Regional Treatment and Diagnostic Center" 8 (0222) 22 26 81 (from 8.00 to 17.00), mob. +375 25 60 219 (from 8.00 to 17.00)

 

Information on phone numbers is available on the website of the Ministry of Health www. minzdrav.gov.by. In the state institution "Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health" two inpatient neuropsychiatric departments have been opened for the treatment of crisis conditions, there are free telephone "hot lines" to provide psychological assistance to individuals, in a difficult life situation (phone numbers 8 801 100 16 11; 8 801 100 21 21).

Suicidal behavior is not exclusively a medical problem.. The causes of such a complex phenomenon as suicide include social, economic, psychological, cultural, religious and medical risk factors. Prevention of suicidal acts is a complex task of the whole society, which is ensured by an integrated approach to suicide prevention, implemented in the Republic of Belarus.

 

Chief freelance specialist

in psychotherapy and psychology

Ministry of Health

The Republic of Belarus,

Head of the Department of Psychotherapy

and medical psychology BelMAPO I.A. Baykov