HOW ARE NATIONS TRYING TO PREVENT SUICIDE - AN ANALYSIS OF NATIONAL SUICIDE-PREVENTION STRATEGIES

Recent increases in suicide rates internationally have focused attenti on on suicide as an important area of public health concern. In this r eview strategies developed by various countries to halt this trend are compared. Nine out of 15 countries respond to enquiry about the state of development of suicide prevention strategies and programmes. Compr ehensive strategies have been or are being developed by Finland, Norwa y, Australia, New Zealand and Sweden. The organization of these strate gies differs between countries. The interventions have similar targets and are presented in detail. There are some similarities in strategy content but evident differences in organization. Further developments should not only be based on research, but also consider the diverse ex periences of other countries, and they should incorporate appropriate structures for monitoring and evaluation.