The World Health Organization has released its first report on suicide prevention and it contains a global call to action to help reduce the incidences of suicide each year. According the study, there is about 800,000 deaths annually that is due to suicide, and a notable 75% of these cases happen in middle to low income countries. WHO Director General, Dr. Margaret Chan, says that, "This report is a call for action to address a large public health problem which has been shrouded in taboo for far too long." The report highlights suicide as a global problem that could take place at any stage of a person's life. Statistics show that it is the second major cause of death in people between the ages of 15 and 29, and is highest among older adults over the age of 70.
The report also drove at one aspect of suicide, saying that it is totally preventable. Researchers claim that the idea that a suicidal person remains suicidal for the rest of his life is a misguided notion. And so is, they say, the notion that talking about suicide will only serve to encourage it. The fact is, talking about suicide helps the person who has suicidal thoughts gain the appropriate support they need to steer clear of that path. Reaching out and talking to somebody can save a suicidal person's life.
According to the researchers, it may be logical to limit a suicidal subject's access to the means that are commonly used to take one's life to stop them from doing so. Some of the leading methods include hanging, ingesting poison, and using firearms. Another way that the suicide rate can be reduced is to adopt a National Coordinated Action Plan where different branches of the government-social welfare, education, employment, and judicial departments-work closely in developing a coordinated response to such cases. Additionally, the report called for the responsible reporting of the media regarding suicide cases, urging them to refrain from sensationalizing the incident or giving out specific details of how people committed the act.
