Towards a Suicide Free Society: Identify Suicide Prevention as Public Health Policy

The authors state any public health programme to reduce or prevent suicide must include 3 components: reducing social isolation, preventing social disintegration, & treating mental disorders. Suicide prevention must be an integrated effort involving government, professionals, nongovernment organizations, volunteers, & an enlightened public. The first step towards reducing the incidence of suicide is identifying suicide prevention as a public health policy. (16 refs.)