Preventing Suicide: A Global Imperative

In May 2013, the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly adopted the first-ever Mental Health Action Plan of the World Health Organization (WHO).  Suicide prevention is an integral part of the plan - with the goal of reducing the rate of suicide by 10% by 2020.  Despite the evidence that many deaths are preventable, suicide is often a low priority for governments and policy makers.  The objective of the WHO report - titled ‘Preventing Suicide: A Global Imperative’ - is to prioritise suicide prevention on the global public health and public policy agendas, and to raise awareness of suicide as a public health issue.  The report was developed through an international consultative process, and is based on systematic reviews of data and evidence, together with inputs from partners and stakeholders.  To download this report as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file, visit: www.mhfi.org/WHOSuicideReport2014.pdf