Comparison of Germany and Japanese General Practitioners’ Awareness of Suicide and Attitudes Toward Patients With Suicidal Ideation

This study obtained insights leading to a better means of suicide prevention in primary care in Japan where the suicide rate is approximately double that of Germanys’. A questionnaire was randomly mailed to general practitioners in Okayama-Prefecture & Hamburg-State. The results show that improving general practitioners’ interest in the problem of suicide & providing training programs for the treatment of patients with suicidal intentions might be ways of achieving better suicide prevention in Japan. (25 refs)