Suicide Prevention and Primary Care (IN: The International Handbook of Suicide and Attempted Suicide, edited by K Hawton & K van Heeringen)

In this chapter it is argued the primary care physician has an important role in the prevention of suicide. Prevention should not only be the detection of the high-risk patient but should start early in the development of serious emotional problems which might eventually lead to a suicidal crisis. A number of problems associated with effective prevention by physicians are discussed. Primary care physicians need a thorough knowledge of risk factors & the skills to understand patients as individual human beings. Only the integration of both these factors will allow adequate management of the suicidal patient. (59 refs.)