by University of Melbourne

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Governments around the world need to address the social and economic factors that contribute to suicide risk, according to a new series calling for a public health approach to suicide prevention.

The six-paper series, published in The Lancet Public Health ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on Tuesday 10 September, argues that despite strong evidence connecting factors such as poverty, homelessness and unemployment to a heightened risk of suicide, suicide prevention policy tends to focus on individuals' mental health rather than societal factors that can be addressed through a public health approach.

University of Melbourne's Professor Jane Pirkis co-led the series with Professor Keith Hawton from the Center for Suicide Research in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford.

"It is imperative that we have a policy reset which would take suicide prevention strategies to the next level," Professor Pirkis said.

"While we know that there are sadly many causes of what drives someone to suicide, we are calling for a new approach to look at the broader context of what is going on in someone's life, for example, their financial stability and work, exposure to family violence, how connected they are in their community.

Professor Pirkis said, "It's also timely in a cost-of-living crisis that governments take notice and understand that suicide requires a public health approach."

The series argues implementing policies that reduce poverty, provide housing and eliminate racism and sexism would yield substantial reductions in the global suicide rate. Policies that regulate industries that either increase the risk of suicide, such as gambling, or provide access to means of suicide, such as firearms, would also lead to a reduction in the rate.

Potential policies set out in the series to achieve this include strengthening the social safety net, improving minimum wage legislation and housing policies.

"Determining clinical risk factors for suicide, such as existing mental health issues, should continue to play a key part in our prevention strategies," Professor Pirkis said.

"Clinical treatment services are critical for people in a suicidal crisis, but upstream measures that address social factors must also be included in national suicide prevention strategies in order to prevent people reaching a crisis point. The public health approach recognizes that individuals do not exist in a vacuum, and that their health is influenced by multiple factors in their lives."

Professor Hawton said a key call to action from the series is involving people with lived experience of suicide in policy changes.

"People with lived experience of suicide and their insights and input are critical for shaping the best possible public health approach. They can help bring to public and government attention key factors which have an influence on suicide.

Professor Hawton said, "While it has become increasingly common for people with lived experience to have a seat at the policy-making table, their input is not always valued in the same way as those with professional expertise, and it absolutely should be.

"Suicide is a societal issue that requires a societal response. However, if this ambition is to be realized, it requires significant and meaningful government backing. This means in terms of objectives, commitment and funding."

More information: Jane Pirkis et al, Preventing suicide: a public health approach to a global problem, The Lancet Public Health (2024). DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00149-X

Keith Hawton et al, Restriction of access to means used for suicide, The Lancet Public Health (2024). DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00157-9

Mark Sinyor et al, The effect of economic downturn, financial hardship, unemployment, and relevant government responses on suicide, The Lancet Public Health (2024). DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00152-X

Jane Pirkis et al, Public health measures related to the transmissibility of suicide, The Lancet Public Health (2024). DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00153-1

Jane Pirkis et al, Addressing key risk factors for suicide at a societal level, The Lancet Public Health (2024). DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00158-0

Keith Hawton et al, Preventing suicide: a call to action, The Lancet Public Health (2024). DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00159-2

Journal information: The Lancet Public Health 

Provided by University of Melbourne