Suicide: A Public Health Perspective (IN: Suicide: Understanding and Responding: Harvard Medical School Perspectives, ed. by D Jacobs and H N Brown)

Presents a description of public mental health strategies & interventions for reducing the risk of suicidal behavior. Includes rates of suicide, predisposing factors, some proposed or attempted interventions, & a discussion of how public policy may affect suicide rates. A Cambridge, Mass. mental health center is used as an example of the public mental health approach to preventative interventions. Includes suggestions as to how mental health professionals can use clinical skills for prevention.