Expert suicide can also be prevented

World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September 2017
Every year, more than 800,000 people worldwide die. Among 15- to 29-year-olds, suicides are even the second leading cause of death today. On the occasion of the World Day for Suicide Prevention, DGPPN President Professor Arno Deister therefore calls for the highest priority to be given to the prevention of suicides.

"Every forty seconds a person dies of suicide anywhere in the world. Even more people try to take their own lives. Suicides occur at all ages and cause more deaths than all wars and natural disasters combined. In many countries, the suicide rate is dramatically high, at over 20 cases per 100,000 population.

Men commit suicide significantly more often than women in depression. (Image: Paolese / fotolia.com)

The latest WHO statistics are concerned and show that the prevention of suicide in the health sector needs to be even more important. Because suicides can be prevented: In Germany, up to 90 percent of suicides are associated with a mental illness for which there are effective therapies. It is all the more important that low-threshold assistance and support services are available nationwide for those affected. This is still not the case: current surveys show that, for example, 18 percent of people with severe depression are not treated at all.

At the same time, we must also promote knowledge about suicide and mental illnesses in the health system and in the population. Because most suicides are preceded by warning signals. The better they are recognized, the sooner you can encourage those affected to seek professional help. To prevent suicide, we also need to learn more about its causes and intensify research. There are still many unanswered questions, for example regarding the neurobiology of suicidal behavior. Suicide prevention can only succeed if you give top priority to politics, science and society.

The topic will therefore also focus on the World Congress of Psychiatry, which will take place in Berlin from 8 to 12 October. National and international experts shed light on the current state of research, discuss prevention approaches and point out perspectives for psychiatric-psychotherapeutic everyday life. "

World Congress of Psychiatry in Berlin
Can stress and anxiety burn into the human genome? Is modern imaging soon to track down the causes of many mental illnesses? What opportunities do apps offer in the treatment of depression? From October 8 to 12, 2017, the international psychiatric health research community will meet at the World Congress of Psychiatry in Berlin.