Year: 1994 Source: BMJ, v.309, (October 1, 1994), p.860-861 SIEC No: 20000252

This brief article states that it seems unlikely that suicide can be prevented easily by medical means. Some of the problems are that suicide cannot be predicted or prevented reliably & that political initiatives are incoherent & implausible. Wilkinson argues that there is too little established knowledge for a programme of primary prevention. He believes the emphasis should be on secondary prevention, concentrating on the proper identification & treatment of people with mental illness.