Suicide, a public health problem in Brazil (IN: Suicide, edited by R.W. Motta)

This text focuses on the situation of suicide in Brazil, defines and quantifies information, and presents a description of the main risk factors, as well as a reflection on the phenomenon and the possibilities for prevention. Fatal suicide is a serious public health problem. In 2012, 172 member states of the World Health Organization registered 804,000 self-inflicted deaths, representing an annual rate of 11.4/100,000, of which 15/100,000 men and 8.0/100,000 women. Consummate suicide rates are unevenly distributed globally, within countries, according to sex and according to age groups. The mortality rate is highest in Asia (17.7/100 thousand inhabitants), followed in Europe (12/100 thousand inhabitants). The Americas have a mortality rate of 7.3/100 thousand inhabitants (WHO, 2014). In Brazil, with an unevenly distributions between the regions, gender and ages, the total rate is 4.5/100,000. In the country and everywhere, risk factors are classified as medical, psychiatric and psychological, micro social, social and environmental. The history of the occurrence of suicides shows that it is possible to prevent them and to reduce the incidence rates. This requires investment in local diagnostics and multidisciplinary action. Given the delicacy of the problem and the taboos that surround it, the protection network for people at risk for suicide needs to be constantly in the process of training and taking action. As national and international surveys show, at least two-thirds of the individuals who tried or committed suicide had somehow communicated to friends, family, acquaintances or health professionals their intention to kill themselves.