Worldwide initiatives in suicide prevention

Suicide belongs to the most prevalent causes of young people's deaths all over the world, therefore effective preventive programmes are extremely important. This article presents information about suicide risk factors, applied therapeutic techniques and conducted suicide prevention programmes and their efficacy. Apart from literature, the study used materials presented during the five-days' training course on Scientifically evaluated interventions in suicide prevention, organized by Karolinska Institutet in May 2012 in Stockholm. The results of the studies show a significant role of enhanced affective states in the development of suicide crisis and their early diagnosis aimed at prevention of suicide attempts. In addition the specificity of work with suicidal patients with personality disorders was discussed. The results of studies on the effectiveness of suicide prevention programmes based on limited access to methods were presented. Attention was paid to advantageous and disadvantageous role of the media, including electronic media, emphasizing their special impact on young people. Furthermore, two European studies were compared: Child and Adolescent Self-harm in Europe (CASE) and Multicentre Study of Self-Harm in England (MSSHE), describing the incidence and method of deliberate self-harm among young hospitalized patients and in general population. Various methods of providing the care for deliberately self-harming patients were evaluated. It was found out that different attitudes of medical staff towards such patients depend on various psychosocial factors. Besides, the results of the research evaluating the efficacy of various therapeutic methods, such as behavioural-cognitive therapy, psychological support, emergency cards and pharmacotherapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were presented.