WHO Research and Intervention Projects Into Suicidal Behaviours: the WHO/SUPRE-MISS and the WHO/START Studies

This paper discusses a few milestones in the internationalization of suicide prevention strategies, emphasizing the role of the International Association for Suicide Prevention & the International Academy for Suicide Research. The core of the discussion is the relatively recent involvement of the United Nations, particularly through their ad hoc branch. A brief description is given of the WHO/EURO Multi-Centre Study on Suicidal Behaviour & its 15 years of formal existence. The ecological approach is better reflected in subsequent studies, the SUPRE-MISS & the START. Brief histories & main characteristics of these projects are provided. (21 refs.)