IASP Newsletters 2008 by International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP)

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RUARY 200

International Association for Suicide Prevention

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dr Chad Varah - founder of the Samaritans and Befrienders International The Rev Dr Chad Varah died aged 95 on 8 November 2007. In 1953, Dr Varah founded Samaritans

The passing of two telephone helpline pioneers

In recent months suicide prevention workers around the world have mourned the passing of two pioneers in the development of telephone help for suicidal persons, Chad Varah and John Kalafat. Reverend Varah, the founder of the Samaritan movement, has had a major impact on the development of volunteer-based help for persons in distress. Vanda Scott, who worked with Chad Varah for many years, has written a brief article on his life and work in this IASP News Bulletin. Below, are some brief words about John Kalafat, who is less known outside of North America: John Kalafat, Ph.D., died suddenly at his home on October 26, 2007 at the age of 65. For over 35 years, John has been an articulate and inspiring spokesperson for the development of quality crisis services for suicidal individuals. John was cofounder and director of the Telephone Counselling Referral Service in Tallahassee, Florida from 1970 to 1977. He published extensively on crisis hotline training approaches and research on outcomes and most recently, with Dr. Madelyn Gould, he conducted ground breaking research on evaluation outcomes of crisis lines in the United States. He was a Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, where he taught courses on "systematic observation and interview", "advanced school supervision", and "crisis intervention," and chaired many doctoral dissertations. He was a past President of the American Association of Suicidology and throughout his career has been involved in committees and organisations that promote best practices in crisis intervention and suicide prevention in schools. He was involved in evaluating the Lifeline school-based adolescent suicide prevention programme that has been implemented in several states in the United States. John had the personal qualities of a warm and empathetic colleague who was passionately devoted to his work and research projects. He constantly sought to improve the quality of suicide prevention programmes and insisted on the importance of rigorous training and careful evaluation. He will be sorely missed by his family, colleagues and people involved in suicide prevention around the world, who have grown to appreciate his thoughtful insights on how to improve skills and advance the cause of suicide prevention. Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D. mishara.brian@uqam.ca

in 1953, "to befriend the suicidal and despairing". Having extended throughout the UK and Ireland, Dr Varah also promoted the same principle internationally through Befrienders International (known as Befrienders Worldwide) which now operates in more than 40 countries. Born in the heart of England in the small town of Barton upon Humber, County of Lincolnshire, in 1911, Edward Chad Varah, the eldest child of nine and the son of an Anglican Church minister founded a worldwide movement of volunteers who are dedicated to offer emotional support to those who are suicidal and in despair. Chad Varah recognised, in the repressed UK in the early 1930s, the extent of confusion and ignorance about many social issues, which were shrouded in taboo. He observed the disturbing way this was, in many cases, the cause of suicide.

Chad Varah read natural sciences at Keble College, Oxford and later studied at the Lincoln Theological College from where he was ordained as a priest into the Church of England. One of his first duties as an assistant curate in 1935 spawned his lifelong commitment to suicide prevention. He officiated at the funeral of a 13 year old girl who was so confused and isolated, believing that she was mortally ill and would die a slow and painful death, that she killed herself. In fact she was experiencing the onset of menstruation. Chad Varah was deeply moved and upset at that suicide and during the next few years he continued to encounter suicidal people in hospitals and within his parish. He was aware of the lack of facilities for the suicidal and that many who were at the brink of killing themselves did not necessarily wish to see a psychiatrist. He believed suicidal people needed a way of being in touch with someone to whom they could talk at any time of day or night that was right for them. The opportunity arrived to help such people when Chad Varah was appointed as rector to St Stephen Walbrook, the City of London church in which he founded The Samaritans, a volunteer resourced organisation dedicated to befriending those going through emotional distress. In 1953, remembering the young girl and responding to the despair and suicide known to be prevalent in London, Chad Varah advertised in the press and opened the first drop-in centre where emotionally isolated and distressed people were able to come and talk of their despair and suicidal feelings. Such a service or facility at that time was envisaged as a counselling programme but within months he recognised that significant number of people who were in crisis and suicidal had nowhere or no-one to turn to for emotional and psychological support and the majority of visitors wanted to talk to someone who would give them time and space; to whom they could express their deepest most anguished thoughts; to someone who would be prepared to listen, in confidence with acceptance and compassion.

To meet the huge response Dr Varah organised volunteers to talk with those waiting to see him and soon observed interaction between the many and varied callers coming to talk and the lay volunteers who listened empathetically and acceptingly. Professor Brian Mishara states "Chad Varah was unquestionably one of the most important influences in the development of telephone help lines around the world. His dedication and actions have resulted in the saving of countless lives.â&#x20AC;? Today there are now thousands of volunteers in over 40 countries dedicated to giving emotional support to the suicidal as first conceived in the 1930s by the charismatic Dr Chad Varah, CH. CBE. MA. Chad Varah with the original Samaritans telephone

President:

Prof. Brian Mishara

Treasurer:

Prof. Thomas Bronisch

In official relations with

1st Vice President:

Prof. Mark Williams

General Secretary:

Assoc. Prof. Annette Beautrais

the World Health Organization

2nd Vice President:

Assoc. Prof. Heidi Hjelmeland

National Rep:

Dr Murad Khan

3rd Vice President:

Prof. Kees van Heeringen

Organisational Rep: Dr Jerry Reed

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The IASP Postvention Task Force has produced the first of what will be regular newsletters. These newsletters will be emailed to everyone on the Task Force email list, and will be available to IASP members on the IASP website - go to the Task Forces, Postvention – tab. The news letter editors welcome contributions to the next newsletter - please send to Sean.McCarthy@hse.ie or "Michelle Linn-Gust" michelle@chellehead.com

Photographs taken at the IASP Congress in Killarney are now available at the photographer’s website: http://www.macmonagle.com To view the photos type iasp into the box marked ‘proof’ at the bottom right hand corner of the screen.

The De Risio Award 2008 The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) Section on Suicidology has established a Permanent Award in memory of Prof. Sergio De Risio. This award will be attributed to the best presentation/paper in the field of suicidology performed by young researchers (below 35 years of age) and accepted for a WPA official meeting or Congress. The next WPA World Congress of Psychiatry will be held in Prague, in September 2008 (www.wpa-prague2008.cz). For further information about this Award please contact the General Secretary of the WPA Section of Suicidology, Professor Marco Sarchiapone Email: marco.sarchiapone@gmail.com

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The 41st American Association of Suicidology (AAS) Conference 16 - 19 April 2008 Boston Park Plaza, Boston

12th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour 27th - 30th August 2008 Glasgow - Scotland

www.suicidology.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=19%20

2008 Conference

The 2nd Announcement is now available at http://www.hamptonmedical.com/pdf/2008/ esssb12/announcement.pdf Registration is now open and closing date for submission of abstracts is 3rd March 2008

3rd Asia Pacific Regional Conference of Suicide Prevention Suicide research and prevention in times of rapid change in Asia. Opportunities and challenges 31 October –3 November 2008, Hong Kong

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Jointly presented by the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention and Association Québécoise de prévention du suicide

Quebec City, October 2008 For more information, please check: www.aqps.info

The 3rd Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association for Suicide Prevention will be held 31 October - 3 November 2008 in Hong Kong. This meeting is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, Faculty of Social Sciences, the University of Hong Kong. A further announcement and call for abstracts will be made before the end of January and will be posted on the conference website at http://csrp.hku.hk/iasp2008 and on the IASP website http://www.med.uio.no/iasp/. The deadline for abstract submissions is 30th April 2008.

International Association for Suicide Prevention

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RCH 2008

International Association for Suicide Prevention

Nils Retterstøl - In Memoriam FROM THE PRESIDENT

Thoughts from Suicide Prevention Pioneer Norm Farberow, at age 90

The photo above was taken recently of Norman Farberow, his wife Pearl and me after he drove from an afternoon at the opera to meet me for dinner. I had several hours layover between flights at the L.A. airports, and visiting with Norm and Pearl was a great treat. Norm turned 90 on February 12, but apart from the extensive knowledge and wisdom that creeps into his conversation, one gets the impression of chatting with a very enthusiastic young suicidologist. Although he can joke "Oh to be 65 again," Norm and Pearl have a very full social life, exercise regularly and are involved in a variety of activities. Norm is a member of the Survivors Advisory Group at the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center, which is now part of the Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Center. He actively reviews research articles for several journals; he is involved in staff training at the center and keeps regular contact with many suicidologists around the world. At the end of each staff training, he and the Centre’s "old timers" Mickey Heilig and Bob Litman meet with the newly trained staff to give them some perspective on the history of the Centre and allow them to profit from the experiences from some of the people who founded the Centre over 50 years ago.

orm is impressed when he looks back at the last half century, by what he feels are remarkable changes in the acceptance of suicide in public discourse. In the early days, suicide was a taboo topic and sometimes he had to use other words to talk about it. Now, although there are still subtle feelings referring to the old taboos, there is much more tolerance and openness to discuss suicide and suicide prevention. Norm says that he has also observed a major shift in suicidology and IASP. Originally IASP consisted solely of people from Western Europe, Canada and the United States. Now people are involved in suicide prevention around the world. He owes an important part of the development of awareness worldwide of suicide prevention as a public health problem to IASP activities.

e is immensely proud of being involved in IASP from the very beginning. When I asked him about the challenges for the future of suicide prevention, he was quick to emphasize that we are neglecting a vital aspect of: research on the needs of survivors and how to better provide relief for the pain they suffer. Norm continues to follow the research literature and laments the fact that there is almost no empirical data on what is most helpful and how to adapt survivor programmes for differences in culture, gender and age. He is interested in learning more about how one changes the cultural attitudes that have been embedded in societies for ages, specifically negative attitudes about suicide prevention and reluctance to seek help.

Norm has had a lifelong goal of having all countries develop strategies for suicide prevention and for suicide survivors. He feels we need better education on suicide prevention and suicide survivors for professional associations and the general public. He is still involved with many suicidologists around the world. The L.A. Suicide Prevention Centre has always been a focal site for training internationally. For example, the Centre has conducted seminars for chaplains in the South Korean Army who have come the past several years to learn how to better prevent suicide in the military.

ntil recently Norm and Pearl attended every IASP meetings since the very first. He said: "I think of IASP and I remember the joy and pleasure of meeting and re-establishing great friendships at the bi-annual meetings. Everywhere in the world there was someone I could visit as a friend and learn first hand about suicide prevention in their country." He asks that I include in this article his appreciation for the convivial aspects of the meetings, and to indicate to his many old friends that he often thinks about them fondly, although he can no longer attend IASP meetings.

Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D. mishara.brian@uqam.ca President:

In official relations with

Past president and honorary member of IASP, Professor Nils Retterstøl passed peacefully away in his home on the 9th of February, aged 83 years. Professor Retterstøl held several of the most influential positions in Norwegian psychiatry at the universities of Oslo and Bergen and at major psychiatric hospitals. He played a major role reforming psychiatric health care from the early 1960s onwards; his focus always set at helping those in greatest need of mental health care. He worked systematically to destigmatize mental disorder and suicide in the public opinion through pioneering TV programmes and other mass media contributions. He was widely reputed nationally and internationally for his many scientific contributions in suicide research and he was highly active in several international organisations.

Professor Retterstøl supported IASP for many years in different roles and he was president of the organisation from 1989 to1991. He received many awards and honours, among them a special award from IASP in 1999 and he was also made honorary member of IASP. After his retirement in 1994, Professor Retterstøl remained a highly productive lecturer and author – he completed his 50th book only days before he passed away. He will be deeply missed by many colleagues and friends in the international field of suicide research and prevention, by the national network of suicidology in Norway where he played such a profound role and by his dear family. The funeral took place at Nordstrand in Oslo on February the 19th. Lars Mehlum

Prof. Brian Mishara

Vice President:

Assoc. Prof. Heidi Hjelmeland

Vice President:

Prof. Kees van Heeringen

the World Health Organization

Treasurer:

Prof. Thomas Bronisch

General Secretary:

Assoc. Prof. Annette Beautrais

National Rep:

Dr Murad Khan

Organisational Rep:

Dr Jerry Reed

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The IASP Postvention Task Force 2nd newsletter is available online at the IASP website - go to the Task Forces, Postvention – tab. The newsletter editors welcome contributions for the next newsletter. Please send to "Sean McCarthy" sean.mccarthy08@gmail.com or "Michelle Linn-Gust" michelle@chellehead.com

IASP’s 25th Congress 2009 The 25th World Congress of the International Association of Suicide Prevention to be held in Montevideo, Uruguay in 2009 will mark 50 years since the founding of IASP at the 1st International Conference for Suicide Prevention held in 1960 in Vienna, organised by Erwin Ringel. To celebrate this anniversary the IASP Board would like to archive historical material and welcomes copies of proceedings and photographs from the first 20 congresses. If you are willing to provide material please send it to Vanda Scott, IASP Central Administration, Le Baradé, 32330 Gondrin, France Fax: +33 562 29 19 47 / Email: iasp1960@aol.com

Second International Conference on Understanding Youth Suicide: A Meeting of Differing Perspectives March 25-27, 2008, Ma'ale HaChamisha Conference Center Judean Hills, Israel Theme: Understanding Youth Suicide: A Meeting of Differing Perspectives Secretariat: ISAS International Seminars, P.O.Box 34001, Jerusalem 91340, Israel Tel: ++972-2-6520574, Fax: ++972-2-6520558 conventions@isas.co.il Homepage: www.isas.co.il/suicide2008

The next WPA World Congress of Psychiatry will be held in Prague, in September 2008 (www.wpa-prague2008.cz). For further information about this Award please contact the General Secretary of the WPA Section of Suicidology, Professor Marco Sarchiapone Email: marco.sarchiapone@gmail.com

12th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour 27th - 30th August 2008 Glasgow - Scotland The 2nd Announcement is now available at http://www.hamptonmedical.com/pdf/2008/ esssb12/announcement.pdf Registration is now open and closing date for submission of abstracts is 3rd March 2008

The 41st American Association of Suicidology (AAS) Conference 16 - 19 April 2008 Boston Park Plaza, Boston www.suicidology.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=19%20

2008 Conference Jointly presented by the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention and Association Québécoise de prévention du suicide

Quebec City, October 2008 For more information, please check: www.aqps.info

3RD ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF SUICIDE PREVENTION Suicide research and prevention in times of rapid change in the Asia Pacific Region: Opportunities and challenges 31 October –3 November 2008, Hong Kong

The conference is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, Faculty of Social Sciences, the University of Hong Kong.

For submission of abstracts,registration details and programme overview see the website http://csrp.hku.hk/iasp2008.

Notification of Results June 30, 2008 Deadline for Early Bird Registration July 15, 2008 Deadline for Normal Registration Sep 30, 2008

Important Dates Deadline for Abstract/ Poster Submission April 30, 2008

International Association for Suicide Prevention

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APR

IL 2008

International Association for Suicide Prevention World Suicide Prevention Day 10th September 2008

NEWS Changes to the IASP Board

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Retirement of José Bertolote March 31 marked the retirement of Dr. José Bertolote, a passionate friend and supporter of suicide prevention, after an impressive career of devoted work in the Mental Health Division of the World Health Organization.

New Chair of the Council of Organisational Representatives Dr Jerry Reed, Director of Span USA has been elected to the IASP Board as Chairperson of the Council of Organizational Representatives. Dr Reed plans to contact all organisations which belong to IASP to solicit information about what the representatives require from IASP, and in particular, to ask the representatives to advise what they would like at the IASP Congress in Montevideo in 2009. Dr Reed may be contacted at jreed330@comcast.net

Resignation

Dr Bertolote lecturing and working at the XXIVth IASP Congress in Killarney, Ireland in September 2007

Although José is a very young age 60, WHO rules require retirement at that age. One of the first things José did on his retirement was apply for membership in IASP (this was not permitted when he worked at WHO).Below is an extract from the letter we sent for inclusion in the Livre d’Or" that was presented to José upon his retirement: The International Association for Suicide Prevention wishes to express all its gratitude for your majestic role in advancing suicide prevention worldwide. All IASP members are well aware that your contribution to the fight against suicide was not merely based on your WHO officer’s responsibilities, but your personal dedication to support and help countries around the world develop their own suicide prevention agendas. It would be difficult to enumerate the numerous events, conferences and congresses around the globe that have been blessed by your openings. Those acts not only provided a tangible proof of WHO’s interest, but also gave weight and credibility to the meetings through the added value of your competence and guidance. Needless to say, your SUPRE (SUicide PREvention) campaign has been of paramount importance in representing the depth of the commitment of WHO to the field of suicide prevention. Of utmost significance was your role in making suicide prevention a top priority for WHO. Your SUPRE initiative was accompanied by a number of publications coordinated by you (via WHO) in a number of domains of great relevance in suicide prevention: from prevention in special environments such as schools and prisons to media guidelines and General Practitioners’ involvement, and many more. But SUPRE also resulted in extensive scientific cooperation, the SUPRE-MISS study, which brought together scientists from five continents, including countries such as Iran and Viet Nam, where it was their first venture in collaborative suicide research and prevention. Your influence is also perennially attached to a very meaningful and extremely successful enterprise, this time jointly realized by IASP and WHO: World Suicide Prevention Day. Since 2003, on the 10th September of every year, this event continues to attract an impressive number of countries (last year, more than 70 countries celebrated World Suicide Prevention Day). It is wonderful to see people from all over the world working together with the common goal of reducing suicide. More recently, under your leadership, WHO and IASP developed a collaboration in an innovative initiative to develop pilot programmes to prevent pesticide suicides. Throughout the years your devotion and involvement world-wide as a champion of suicide prevention has resulted in the development of local and national initiatives that have saved a great many lives. Many of the recent achievements in understanding and preventing suicide around the world could not have been possible without your support and inspiration. On behalf of IASP, its member organizations around the world, and personally, dear José, THANK YOU so much!!! We are looking forward to your continued achievements in suicide prevention, but now as a member of IASP. We are all proud to be associated with you. Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D. mishara.brian@uqam.ca

Professor Mark Williams has resigned from the IASP Board for personal reasons. Under the current IASP Constitution, when a Board member resigns in mid-term there is no provision for a replacement to be elected or appointed, unless there are at least three vacancies. The IASP Board will be proposing to the members possible changes to the constitution to provide for a replacement. The proposal will be sent to all members and placed on the agenda at the next Annual General Meeting in Montevideo in 2009

• to develop global awareness of suicide as a major preventable cause of premature death, • to describe the political leadership and policy frameworks for suicide prevention provided by national suicide prevention strategies, • and to highlight the many practical prevention programmes that translate policy statements and research outcomes into activities at local, community levels. A detailed information brochure for WSPD 2008 will be available in April on the IASP web site: www.iasp.info

New IASP website A new, updated and expanded IASP web site will be appearing in the coming months, at the address: www.iasp.info The site will first put online in English, to be followed by a French site, with Spanish to follow later.

Bridgend suicide cluster In recent weeks discussion of suicide in the United Kingdom has been dominated by the Bridgend suicide cluster. On the 7th February 2008, Madeleine Moon MP secured a debate on suicide prevention strategies in the UK Parliament following the worrying increase in suicides in the Welsh town of Bridgend and wider county. Seventeen young people are thought to have ended their lives in the past year.

UNITED KINGDOM

She highlighted that "the suicide rate for young males in Wales is nearly 35% higher than that compared to England, and there were 40 deaths WALES in Bridgend since 2006 with open verdicts." These recent deaths Bridgend have raised a number of issues, including the limited evidence London for effective youth suicide prevention initiatives and the role of the media in the development of suicide clusters.

Indeed, the overwhelming local, national and international media coverage led to calls from those bereaved as well as from professionals for the media to exercise restraint (including a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission) and calls for the media to adhere to the published guidelines on the reporting of suicide. A comprehensive local suicide prevention strategy for Bridgend has now been developed and the Welsh Assembly’s Health Minister has accelerated the development of a national suicide prevention strategy (following Choose Life, Scotland’s national strategy) which should be published in a matter of months.

President: In official relations with

The theme for World Suicide Prevention Day 2008 is "Think Globally. Plan Nationally. Act Locally". This phrase, first used by the movement to save the environment, can equally well be applied to suicide prevention:

Rory O’Connor IASP National Representative – United Kingdom "Rory O'Connor" roryciaran.oconnor@stir.ac.uk Prof. Brian Mishara

Vice President:

Assoc. Prof. Heidi Hjelmeland

Vice President:

Prof. Kees van Heeringen

the World Health Organization

Treasurer:

Prof. Thomas Bronisch

General Secretary:

Assoc. Prof. Annette Beautrais

National Rep:

Dr Murad Khan

Organisational Rep:

Dr Jerry Reed

newsbulletin I TA LY Roma

Rome

National suicide prevention activities: ITALY In Italy I have

organised a number of major events for suicide prevention in my role of IASP National representative. The first World Suicide Prevention Day was launched in Italy in 2005. This included a sym-posium held in Rome in September with the motto "Suicide prevention is everybody's business". This event was accompanied by interviews released to the media and publications and editorials in news-papers and national and international journals.

Other events were organized in central Italy. These activities included symposia to educate mental health professionals, social workers and crisis center personnel. An important breakthrough to develop a national strategy to study and prevent suicide was the establishment of a partnership with the Italian Health Institute which is the official institution for the supervision of health programs in Italy. Joint efforts were continued with an official national congress in Rome in May 2006 where a symposium was dedicated to suicide prevention (chaired by

Prof. Tatarelli). During the summer 2006 a number of events were organized to provide information to psychologists, physicians, residents and mental health professionals working in the Roma area. In September 2006 we celebrated World Suicide Prevention Day as well as the National Suicide Prevention Week 2006 with conferences and symposia. I also organized events for Italy for World Mental Health Day 2006 (October 10th) dedicated to suicide prevention.

Seminars for undergraduates at the II Medical

promote awareness were organized in various locations, and were very much appreciated by crisis centers, self-help groups and agencies that provide support to the mentally ill and to survivors of suicide.

Due to the increasing awareness of suicide prevention, stimulated by all of these recent activities, the Ministry of Health will develop suicide prevention guidelines which will be distributed in all health environments, and as IASP national representative I have been invited to contribute to these.

School of Sapienza University of Rome focused on early intervention and stigmatization of suicide. In February 2007 we hosted a conference in Rome on why people commit suicide. This included David Lester's presentation on Katie's diary and discussion of research priorities in suicidology. I organized a workshop on psychological pain in suicides and survivors at the 15th Congress of the Association of European Psychiatrists (March 2007). I conducted, with colleagues, the first Italian validation study of the Beck Hopelessness Scale. We also focussed on incrasing understanding of suicide in military personnel and police officers. Events to educate and

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Maurizio Pompili, M.D. IASP National Representative - Italy Maurizio.Pompili@uniroma1.it

C O N F E R E N C E S

The 41st American Association of Suicidology (AAS) Conference 16 - 19 April 2008 Boston Park Plaza, Boston www.suicidology.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=19%20

2008 Conference Jointly presented by the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention and Association Québécoise de prévention du suicide

Quebec City, October 2008 For more information, please check: www.aqps.info

The conference is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, Faculty of Social Sciences, the University of Hong Kong.

For submission of abstracts,registration details and programme overview see the website http://csrp.hku.hk/iasp2008.

Notification of Results June 30, 2008 Deadline for Early Bird Registration July 15, 2008 Deadline for Normal Registration Sep 30, 2008

Important Dates Deadline for Abstract/ Poster Submission April 30, 2008

International Association for Suicide Prevention

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E 2008

International Association for Suicide Prevention

FROM THE PRESIDENT World Suicide Prevention Day 2008: Think Globally, Plan Nationally, Act Locally

Those of you who have visited the IASP website lately at www.iasp.info have probably noticed that we are in a transition phase. The old website posted in Norway at the University of Oslo address (with the kind support of Lars Mehlum) is soon to be taken off line and the newly designed and constantly expanding site will de developed to become a key source of information on suicide prevention worldwide. If you pull down the main menu under "Activities" on the new site and click on World Suicide Prevention Day you will find down-loadable information flyers in English, French, Spanish, Italian and, soon, in Chinese. For those of you who are looking for ideas, descriptions of many activities held around the world in previous years are available on the website.

This year we will again be launching World Suicide Prevention Day with a public symposium at the United Nations headquarters in New York, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) U.N. office. This symposium is open to the general public. More information on the Symposium will be posted on the IASP website when available and it will also be sent to members in the New York City area. This year, WHO will be represented by Dr. Jorge Rodriguez of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO). As in previous years, Dr. Rodriguez and I will be invited to attend the noon press briefing at the United Nations to talk with journalists around the world about this important event. If you will be in New York on September 10th and would like to attend, please send me an e-mail and I will keep you informed as plans develop.

The topic this year "Think Globally, Plan Nationally, Act Locally" focuses on the global burden of suicide, effective prevention strategies around the world and collaborative international models. At the national level, we emphasize the need to develop, implement and evaluate collaborative national policies on suicide prevention. However, we are keenly aware that it is at the local level, and often as a result of community initiatives, that effective suicide prevention activities are undertaken.

The number of activities held around the world on World Suicide Prevention Day is expanding exponentially. If you enter "World Suicide Prevention Day" in a Google search you get about 270,000 hits. The variety of activities around the world posted online is impressive, ranging from candlelight memorial ceremonies to rock concerts; from volunteer recruitment to medical education. Please let us know about activities you will be conducting (send details to Annette.Beautrais@otago.ac.nz). We will again be posting a sample of 2008 activities around the world on the IASP website.

I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the European Symposium in Glasgow at the end of August and at the Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Hong Kong October 31st – November 3rd. Several IASP Task Forces will be meeting during those events. Please do not hesitate to let me know your thoughts about how IASP can best continue its work in understanding and preventing suicides world-wide and reducing the impact of suicide. Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D. mishara.brian@uqam.ca

ANDREJ MARUSIC, 1965-2008 I first met Andrej Marusic in 1998 when we both attended a management course for Specialist Registrars at the Maudsley Hospital, London. I was immediately struck by his crocodile leather shoes and the questions he threw at the facilitators! At tea break we introduced ourselves and discovered, to our amazement, we were both interested in suicide research and our articles, had appeared in the same latest issue of Crisis that I happened to be carrying in my briefcase that day! That was the start of our friendship that lasted till Andrej’s tragic death on June 1, 2008.

Andrej was a remarkable person. I was attracted to his down to earth, unpretentious, genuine and generous side of personality. His smile, his intellect, his creativity, his energy and his enthusiasm were infectious. People who met him could not help but be taken in by his charm and style. His sense of humor would disarm even the most stoic amongst us. He would light up any meeting in which he was present.

He became a member soon after I introduced him to IASP and immediately made a huge impact on the organisation. He led the IASP Task Force on suicide and genetics. He was a prolific writer and published regularly in Crisis and other high quality journals. He came up with the idea of a conference on Gene-Environment Interaction in Suicide, which has now become a regular feature. His ability to organize high quality symposia and gather top researchers in suicidology from all corners of the world was unmatched.

We both left the UK at about the same time. I came back to Karachi, Pakistan, he to his native Slovenia, where he became Director of The Institute of Public Health in Ljubljana. We kept in regular email and phone contact. Apart from discussing suicide research we regularly exchanged news of our respective families. He was a dedicated family man and told me that whatever he was doing in life was to secure a better future for his children and that if his family was unhappy everything else was meaningless. When he was diagnosed with cancer about two years ago, he took it in his stride and went about with the same degree of enthusiasm and aplomb in treating it as he would any of his numerous research projects. President:

In official relations with

Prof. Brian Mishara

Vice President:

Assoc. Prof. Heidi Hjelmeland

Vice President:

Prof. Kees van Heeringen

the World Health Organization

When I met him in Killarney at the IASP Congress in September 2007, I was a little apprehensive, as this was going to be my first meeting since his illness was diagnosed. I needn’t have been.

What I found, instead, was an Andrej buzzing with excitement of even more research ideas and how to carry them forward. The illness, he told me, did not bother him at all except when he was laid low for a day or two following the chemotherapy.

I was due to meet him again at a meeting in Sorrento in Italy on 18th of May. He had come up with this interesting idea of gathering a few people for a retreat to write an article on the Future of Suicidology. I looked forward to seeing him again. Sadly it was not to be. We heard he was too ill to travel. Uncharacteristically, my emails and text messages remained unanswered. Ten days later he had passed away.

The world of suicidology may be poorer by Andrej’s untimely loss but as we mourn his death let us also celebrate his short but remarkable life. The scores of young suicide researchers he inspired in Slovenia are a lasting testament to his enduring legacy. He was like ‘a meteor, shot on the firmament (of suicidology) and vanished, likewise, after a brief spell of dazzling effulgence’.

Our prayers are with his wife Katja and his lovely children Maj and Kara. May God give them the strength to bear this irreplaceable loss. Rest in peace dear friend.

Murad M Khan Professor of Psychiatry, Aga Khan University Karachi, Pakistan Chair, Council of National Representative, IASP

Treasurer:

Prof. Thomas Bronisch

General Secretary:

Assoc. Prof. Annette Beautrais

National Rep:

Dr Murad Khan

Organisational Rep:

Dr Jerry Reed

newsbulletin The IASP National Representative for Italy, Dr Maurizio Pompili, was the recipient of the 2008 American Association of Suicidology Shneidman Award for suicid research. Drs Pompili and Shneidman are pictured below.

The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) was founded by clinical psychologist Edwin S. Shneidman, Ph.D. in 1968. After co-directing the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center (L.A.S.P.C.) since 1958, Dr. Shneidman was appointed codirector of The Center for Suicide Prevention at the National Institute of Mental Health (N.I.M.H.) in Bethesda, MD. There he had the opportunity to closely observe the limited available knowledgebase regarding suicide. Consequently, under the sponsorship of the National Institute of Mental Health, N.I.M.H., he organized a meeting of several world-renowned scholars in Chicago, determined the need for, and fathered, the national US organization devoted to research, education, and practice in "suicidology," and advancing suicide prevention (www.suicidology.org).

NATIONAL UPDATE Australia

Australia’s suicide prevention efforts are guided by our National Suicide Prevention Strategy, which is operationalised through the recently-revised Living Is For Everyone (LIFE) Framework. The National Suicide Prevention Strategy emphasises the development of evidence-based interventions for groups at high risk of suicide, including people with mental illness, people who self harm, Indigenous Australians and people bereaved by suicide. It also targets geographic areas with particularly high suicide rates, by resourcing the development of models of suicide prevention that involve linkages to existing support systems (e.g., mental health programs). At the end of 2006 a series of community-based projects were funded which explicitly targeted at-risk groups and geographic areas of apparent need. Many of these projects have been managed by non-government organisations or community groups. These projects have undergone ongoing evaluation and appear to be performing well. Most are due to wind up in mid-2009, at which point future funding pathways will be examined. More recently, several national initiatives have been announced. Key among these is an endeavour which builds upon an existing mental health program which is operating across the country. Known as the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care program, this offers, amongst other things, opportunities for general practitioners to refer patients with depression and anxiety to psychologists and other allied health professionals for 6-12 sessions of evidence-based mental health care. The new initiative will extend this so that general practitioners can refer suicidal patients for highly specialised care, also delivered by allied health professionals.

EDITOR SEARCH Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior (SLTB) Applications are invited for the position of Editor-in-Chief for Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior (SLTB), the official journal of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) and the leading international journal in the field of suicide studies. Devoted to emergent theoretical, clinical, and public heath approaches related to violent, self-destructive, and life-threatening behaviors, SLTB is published six times per year (electronic and hard copy), with a subscription base of over 2,000. It is indexed in Index Medicus/MEDLINE, PsychINFO, PubMed, and Social Sciences Citation Index, among others. SLTB has been continuously published for 38 years.

The successful candidate will be an active author of scientific articles with demonstrated national leadership in the field of suicidology. Candidates must have earned a M.D., Ph.D., or terminal degree with a minimum of 10 years experience in their field. The editor receives an annual stipend and serves on the AAS Council of Delegates (must be or become a member of AAS). The term of office is 5 years. Interested candidates should submit a curriculum vitae and brief letter of interest by June 30, 2008 to: Cheryl A. King, Ph.D., ABPP, Chair, SLTB Search Committee, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Rachel Upjohn Building, 4250 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5765.

Applicants may also send application materials or requests for information to: kingca@umich.edu. Candidates chosen as finalists will be invited to send additional information, including a vision statement for the journal.

Jane Pirkis IASP National representative Australia j.pirkis@unimelb.eu.au

'Forward Together'

Befrienders Worldwide Conference in Jomiten, Thailand, 25-28 October 2008 www.befrienders.org/link/externaldelegates.html

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2008 Conference Jointly presented by the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention and Association Québécoise de prévention du suicide

12th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour 27th - 30th August 2008 Glasgow - Scotland The 2nd Announcement is available at http://www.hamptonmedical.com/ pdf/2008/esssb12/announcement.pdf Registration is now open.

Quebec City, October 2008 For more information, please check: www.aqps.info

The conference is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, Faculty of Social Sciences, the University of Hong Kong.

For submission of abstracts,registration details and programme overview see the website http://csrp.hku.hk/iasp2008.

Notification of Results June 30, 2008 Deadline for Early Bird Registration July 15, 2008 Deadline for Normal Registration Sep 30, 2008

Important Dates Deadline for Abstract/ Poster Submission April 30, 2008

International Association for Suicide Prevention

newsbulletin

J U LY

newsbulletin

2008

International Association for Suicide Prevention

Dear IASP Colleagues, FROM THE PRESIDENT

am writing to introduce myself as the newly elected Chair of the Council of Organizational Representatives to the Board of the International Association for Suicide Prevention. I hold a Master of Social Work degree in Aging Administration and recently completed my Doctor of Philosophy in Health Related Sciences with an emphasis in Gerontology focusing on older adult suicide. I have been active in the field of suicide prevention in the United States for the past eleven years.

Considerations on linking suicide with violence and other topics Suicide is often associated with or subsumed under other seemingly "more general" topics, such as Injury Prevention or Mental Health. The basic assumption is that suicide is a specialized sub-set of a more general overriding domain. Killing oneself can be seen as just one of many ways one can sustain injuries; suicidal behaviours may be viewed as one of many consequences of living with a mental disorder. Sometimes suicide prevention is considered as part of what some may consider strange bedfellows. For example, WHO considered suicide in the unit that dealt with Brain Disorders; anti-abortion campaigners in the United States have embraced suicide prevention workers as brethren working for the same cause; and in some schools suicide prevention is assumed by nurses as part of their "personal hygiene" classes. Sometimes the desire to place suicide within a "larger" phenomenon is motivated by a theoretical position that can be well defended. However, it is often the case that where suicide is "housed" reflects a political reality with financial consequences. Suicide prevention money may be spent very differently if it is handled by medically oriented mental health planners or by public health workers who favour primary prevention over interventions when the risk is already high. It is sometimes quite a challenge to sort out the motivations and implications of placing suicide in one or another camp.

I was inspired to write this column in the midst of teaching at the "5th Francophone Summer University on Public Health" in BesanĂ§on, France. In past years there was a course on suicide. However, this year the wisdom of the organizers, in collaboration with the Francophone International Network on Safely Promotion and Trauma Prevention, decided that they would merge suicide in a course on "Prevention of violence and suicide in youth." Freud would probably have been content. As Menninger and other followers elaborated, externally focussed violent acts can be viewed as alternatives to self directed suicidal impulses. In the most simplistic analysis, increased violence should be related to decreased suicide, and vice-versa. Although the data tend to support the opposite view, that increased violence is associated with increased suicidal behaviours, the linking of suicide with violence seems to make some sense. Some violence researchers point out that suicide is just one of many violent acts. But, are all suicides truly violent? Are there advantages to viewing suicide as a special form of violence?

Perhaps a closer association between suicide and violence would bring more attention (and funding?) to suicide prevention. Although more people worldwide die by suicide each year than die in all wars, terrorist acts and murders combined, our media focuses by and large on people killing others. "Selfmurder" is of much less concern than wars, terrorism and homicides. Perhaps this is a hold-over from condemnations of suicide and the feelings of shame associated with suicidal behaviours. Perhaps it is the association with mental illness that leads to minimizing the importance of suicide. Enough Hollywood films tell us that "normal" people commit other acts of violence and murders by Hollywood heroes are often glorified. It is only the murders by the "bad guys" that we need to prevent.

As Chair of the Council, it is my intention to build a working relationship with current organizational representatives during my tenure on the board, encourage other organizations to join IASP, and to listen to your comments and suggestions for our association and represent them well to the board and full membership. I believe that as organizational members of IASP we are uniquely positioned to inform our international suicide prevention colleagues by sharing what we do from an organizational perspective by actively participating in planned trainings, symposia, conferences and through publication in our newsletter and journal. As a result, we would all benefit from learning from others doing similar work in other nations.

o facilitate our dialogue, I would like to provide my contact information so we can communicate via email. My email address is jreed330@comcast.net . I would be pleased to hear from you on how you believe the association can be of value to organizations as we engage in our work around the world dedicated to preventing suicide. I would also like to hear what you would like to see on the program at our 2009 World Congress in Montevideo. I hope many of us will submit abstracts that highlight the work of organizations as the call for abstracts is released.

There are many exciting opportunities being planned to come together as colleagues in the months and years to come. Our first opportunity will be in Glasgow, Scotland at the 12th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour being held 27-30 August 2008. For more information visit the conference website at http://www. esssb12.org/ . Following this event will be the 3rd Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association for Suicide Prevention to be held in Hong Kong between the period 31 October â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3 November 2008. For more details visit the conference website at http://csrp.hku.hk/ iasp2008/. And of course planning is well underway for the XXV IASP World Congress being held in Montevideo, Uruguay during the period 27-31 October 2009. Having attended my first World Congress in Killarney, Ireland, I am very much looking forward to attending and spending time with suicide prevention colleagues from around the world. It provides a great sense of "community" giving us each strength and encouragement as we return to our home nation to continue our important work. I plan to attend all three gatherings and hope we can meet in person at the events you are planning to attend. I will arrange an opportunity at each venue listed above for organizational members and prospective members to meet and provide input that can inform the future work of IASP. I will advise you in due course of the dates, times and venues of these meetings.

As organizational members of IASP I hope we can work closely in the days to come to advance our collective capacity to reduce the burden of suicide and suicidal behaviour around the world. I look forward to the opportunity of working with each of you during my tenure as Chair of the Council of Organizational Representatives. Jerry Reed, Ph.D., MSW Chair, Council of Organizational Representatives International Association for Suicide Prevention

Best,

I still feel uncomfortable whenever suicide is subsumed under another topic, be it mental health, injury prevention or the prevention of violence. A defining characteristic of suicidal behaviours is the multiplicity of influences. Suicide has many dimensions and limiting the focus to one perspective ignores the complexity of suicide and results in a myopic view of the many opportunities for suicide prevention. The IASP membership and the interdisciplinary content of our scientific programmes at IASP congresses exemplify the wide range of opportunities for understanding and preventing suicide. Biology, genetics, anthropology, sociology, public health, and a vast range of psycho-social perspectives have complementary implications for treatment and prevention. Still, I am a realist. I know that there can be practical advantages to housing suicide prevention in mental health or other "general" areas. Teaching a course on suicide and violence is also a fascinating exercise. But at heart, I know that there are important limitations whenever the complex phenomenon of suicide is reduced to "just a sub-category" of whatever topic. The rich complexity of suicidal behaviours is generally compromised whenever this occurs.

Prof. Andrej Marusic Trust Thank you! Prof. Andrej Marusic's colleagues would like to thank everyone for the kind messages they received in the weeks after he died. A N D R E J M A R U S I C , 1965-2008 Many people asked that their condolences be passed on Prof. Marusic's family. His colleagues have prepared a book of condolences, which is to be sent to Andrej's wife, children, mother and brothers. Andrej's family members would also like to thank everyone for their sincere condolences and they and Andrejâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s colleagues want you to know that the support and warmth they have received is giving them all the strength to go on. The "Prof. Andrej Marusic Trust" has been established to continue research in suicidal behaviour and mental health. Details of the trust follow: "Prof. Andrej Marusic Trust", Zavod Celjenje, Vojke Smuc 12, 6000 Koper, Slovenia, EU Bank: Unicredit Bank, Smartinska 140, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, EU IBAN: SI56290000055337678 SWIFT: BACXSI22

Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D. mishara.brian@uqam.ca

From: Andrej's researchers and colleagues

President: In official relations with

Prof. Brian Mishara

Vice President:

Assoc. Prof. Heidi Hjelmeland

Vice President:

Prof. Kees van Heeringen

the World Health Organization

Treasurer:

Prof. Thomas Bronisch

General Secretary:

Assoc. Prof. Annette Beautrais

National Rep:

Dr Murad Khan

Organisational Rep:

Dr Jerry Reed

newsbulletin COUNTRY REPORT: HONG KONG

COUNTRY REPORT: HUNGARY

Epidemiological profile Encouragingly, suicide rates in Hong Kong have been substantially reducing from a peak in 2003, 18.6 per 100,000 people, to less than 14.0 per 100,000 in 2007. However, suicide is still one of the leading causes of death, particularly among people aged 15-24. Charcoal burning as a newly emerged suicide method in the late 90s has swiftly proliferated to become the second most common means of suicide in Hong Kong since 2001. The total number of suicides by this method increased from 16 (2%) in 1998 to its highest level at 325 (25%) in 2003, and now this issue has become a major public health concern in the Asia-Pacific region.

Together with other NGOs, stakeholders and government departments, the HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, The University of Hong Kong (CSRP) has been working diligently in tackling the suicide problems from a multi-layered approach in the community including conducting research, providing training for front-line professionals, and producing educational materials for the community. Two of the CSRP’s programs integrated, multi-layered approaches to suicide prevention in Hong Kong include:

Postvention research and intervention for survivors of suicide Since 2006, a three-year pilot multi-disciplinary project, which aims to develop, study, and evaluate evidencebased quality care, and to understand and identify best practice to help people bereaved by suicide in Hong Kong has been developed, funded by a local entrepreneur, Mr. Peter Lee.

This program is based on local and international experiences that not all suicide survivors develop complicated grief or suicid risk, but those who are at risk do not generally seek professional help. Thus, we established a program that cares for people bereaved by suicide at all level of needs. With support from the Department of Health, informational support, and immediate help are provided at public mortuaries. Structured psycho-educational groups, telephone follow-up and brief-psychotherapy are also offered to survivors with various levels of needs.

Department, and the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital. The Working Group is chaired by the Eastern District Police Commander, and has developed a series of strategic suicide prevention initiatives and includes systematic evaluation of their effectiveness. Multi-level strategies include training for all front-line police officers by medical, psychological and social work professionals; development of a "First Responder Kit" for police officers, an information card and poster for public which contains help line numbers; establishment of a new Police-Social Welfare Department referral mechanism for attempters and families of suicide; training for GP and teachers about early identification of suicidal behaviours; and development of professional-led psycho-educational groups for bereaved families.

Decreased suicide rates in Hungary: The paradox of suicide reduction without prevention

The 3rd Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the IASP To raise the importance of suicide prevention and to share

• Third, drug-related deaths emerged during the 1990s and there are approximately 80-100 of these each year. Most of these deaths are probably not accidental, but, rather, voluntary overdoses (the term used is "golden shots"). "True"suicide cases are very difficult to verify as such, but only those cases "beyond reasonable doubt" are registered officially as suicides.

Hungary’s suicide rate between 1968 and 1987 was the highest in the world but decreased markedly from 1987 to 1988 (from 45.1 to 41.3 per 100 000) and has continued to decline steadily since then, reaching 24.4 in 2006. The origin of this decline is not clear, but it may have multiple causes. • First, the decline cannot be explained by the increased use of SSRI antidepressants since commercial sales of SSRIs in Hungary began to increase in 1995, while the decline in the suicide rate began much earlier. • Second, the sudden decline in suicide rates in 1988 points to the possibility that a significant improvement in the political climate, and the hope associated with liberation from an oppressive political regime, may have influenced the suicide rate.

our experience in suicide prevention with others in the Region, we have organized the 3rd Asia Pacific Regional Conference of IASP The theme is "Suicide Research and Prevention in Times of Rapid Change in Asia: Opportunities and Challenges". It is the wisdom of Chinese saying that crisis always comes with opportunity. Experts in all aspects of suicidology, from those bereaved through suicide to those foremost in the field of research, will attend. Mrs. Selina Tsang, wife of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR Government, has also kindly agreed to become the Conference Patron.

Distinct regional differences remain an intriguing phenomenon in Hungary: For 160 years the Southeastern part of the country (The Great Hungarian Plane) has had a suicide rate which is 2 to 2.5 times higher than in the Northwestern part of the country. This difference persists to this day.

It is a pity that because of the political and economic situation in Hungary the problem of suicide prevention is of no more than marginal interest to the government. The "official" work of our Hungarian Association for Suicide Prevention is virtually negligible: we assist in the preventive work of the civil organisations and the churches. We have written the Hungarian Suicide Prevention Plan, but it has not been implemented. Neverthless, and paradoxically, the suicide rate has halved in the last 20 years! I am not sure what this indicates about the need for suicide prevention programmes!

We have received very good responses to call for abstracts: 150 abstracts of presentations representing 19 countries and cities / regions have been selected. Topics vary from scientific knowledge to practical skills, with all enhancing the effectiveness of suicide prevention in the Asia Pacific region.

Tamás Zonda, MD PhD Hungarian Association for Suicide Prevention National Representative of IASP (Hungary)

Early bird registration will close on July 31, 2008. For more details, please visit the conference website http://csrp.hku.hk/iasp2008/

Befrienders Worldwide Conference, Jomiten, Thailand, 25-28 October 2008 'Forward Together' www.befrienders.org/link/ externaldelegates.html

I am looking forward to seeing you in Hong Kong.

Community-based suicide prevention Dr Paul S.F. Yip project IASP National A community-based, multi-agency suicide prevention alliance was formed within a community with a population of 600,000 in 2006, with representatives from CSRP, Hong Kong Police Force, Social Welfare Department, Housing

Representative Hong Kong sfpyip@hku.hk

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2008 Conference Jointly presented by the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention and Association Québécoise de prévention du suicide

Quebec City, October 2008 For more information, please check: www.aqps.info

The conference is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, Faculty of Social Sciences, the University of Hong Kong.

For submission of abstracts,registration details and programme overview see the website http://csrp.hku.hk/iasp2008.

Notification of Results June 30, 2008 Deadline for Early Bird Registration July 15, 2008 Deadline for Normal Registration Sep 30, 2008

Important Dates Deadline for Abstract/ Poster Submission April 30, 2008

International Association for Suicide Prevention

newsbulletin

GUST 2008

International Association for Suicide Prevention

FROM THE PRESIDENT

IASP members can support a suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge

WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY - SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2008

Public Conference at the United Nations Headquarters

Since 1937 more than 1,300

A public conference on Effective Activities to

persons have committed suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge that spans San Francisco Bay, in California. The Golden Gate Bridge District, after years of study and debate, has finally elaborated five potential designs for a barrier to prevent suicides. The potential T H E G O L D E N G AT E B R I D G E environmental impact of the five designs has been compared with the "no build alternative" of maintaining the status quo, in a public document you can access on the web site: http://www.ggbsuicidebarrier.org Comments on the proposals are being accepted until 25 August 2008, after which the authorities will decide whether to maintain the status quo or proceed and build a barrier. The current situation is that there are 20 to 30 deaths by suicide on the bridge each year. An additional 60 people are intercepted each year before a suicide attempt by a combination of surveillance cameras, safety patrols by police officers trained in suicide prevention, access to 111 emergency crisis intervention telephones placed on the pedestrian walkways and special training of volunteer bridge workers.

Prevent Suicides will be held at the United Nations Conference Room 1, United Nations Headquarters in New York from 1 PM to 3:30PM. IASP members are requested to publicize this event, which is open to the general public at no charge. However, please note that it is important to arrive early because of possible delays in security screening to enter the UN Headquarters building.

Anyone who is aware of research on the effectiveness of limiting access to means of suicide, as well as the specific studies of the impact of bridge barriers, knows that bridge barriers effectively prevent suicides by inhibiting people who are feeling suicidal from completing their suicide (see the special Supplement to Crisis on Controlling Access to Means of Suicide, Volume 28, 2007, and particularly Annette Beautrais’s article on "Suicide by Jumping: A Review of Research and Prevention Strategies," pp58-63). One would think that the Golden Gate Bridge authorities should have put up an effective barrier many years ago, and that now that they have developed some designs of potential barriers, it is just a matter of deciding which to put up and the tragic loss of lives by suicide on the bridge will be stopped. However, it is still not certain that the "no build alternative" of doing nothing more will not again prevail. Although the cost of $40 to $50 million seems like a reasonable expense (less than $39,000 per life lost to date), the report cites "direct adverse effects to the bridge historic defining features." This means that the bridge would not look exactly the same as in 1937 with an added barrier. Also some peregrine falcons who nest on the bridge could be disturbed during the construction and may even abandon their nests. Finally, 4 of the 5 proposals would partially block the scenic view from the bridge while crossing it.

Any IASP members who feel strongly about building a barrier are invited to comment on the proposal to build barriers by filling out a website comment form at: http://www.ggbsuicidebarrier.org/getinvolved.asp or by sending an email to: suicidebarrier@goldengate.org before 4:30pm on August 25, 2008. Also, you can sign a petition to have the bridge authority choose a barrier rather than the "do nothing" option by visiting the site: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/Raise-the-Rails-Save-A-Life

This public conference at the United Nations focuses upon promising prevention activities to prevent suicides. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the U.S. National Lifeline network of telephone helplines joins with IASP and WHO in the 2008 Conference. Activities: The conference would begin with a general introduction by Werner Obermeyer who will represent the WHO UN Executive Director. Professor Brian Mishara, President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, will present the general theme of World Suicide Prevention Day 2008 “Think Globally, Plan Nationally, Act Locally” and will present an

WORLD ACTIVITIES FOR WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY 2008 A list of initiatives and activities that have been undertaken around the world on previous World Suicide Prevention Days can be accessed on the IASP website www.iasp.info/wspd/ We encourage you to consult this list and see what others have done to publicise suicide prevention. Also, please fill out www.iasp.info/activities_mailform.php to tell us what activities you plan for WSPD 2008.

An example for WSPD 2008 is provided from Austria where Professor Gernot Sonneck has advised that the Viennese Crisis Intervention Center has organized an international

conference on Suicide Prevention in cooperation with the Austrian Society for Suicide Prevention (ÖGS). Lectures will be held on the following topics: '30 years Suicide Prevention: the Viennese Crisis Intervention Center', 'Suicidal Tendencies and Personality Disorders' and 'Suicidality of Elderly People', to give some examples. Intersting workshops on 'The Gender Gap in Suicide', 'Working with Survivers' or 'How to Report on Suicide' can be attended. Please visit the website www.kriseninterventionszentrum to find further information.

ANDREJ MARUSIC INSTITUTE Following the untimely death of Professor Andrej Marusic, the Institute at the University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia, where Andrej worked as a Senior Research Associate, has been renamed the Andrej Marusic Institute in his honour.

Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D. mishara.brian@uqam.ca

President: In official relations with

overview of suicide prevention around the world and activities being held on World Suicide Prevention Day 2008.WHO will be represented at the conference by Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, Unit Chief of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation Technology and Health Service Delivery of the Pan American Health Organization, who will speak on challenges in suicide prevention in Latin America. Dr. John Draper, Project Director of the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline will present on “The Role of Telephone Helplines in Suicide Prevention. Professor Madeleine Gould, of Columbia University will present on “School Based Suicide Prevention Programs.” Then Professor John Mann of Columbia University and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will present on “The role of general practitioners in suicide prevention.” The presentations will be followed by a period of discussion and questions.

Prof. Brian Mishara

Vice President:

Assoc. Prof. Heidi Hjelmeland

Vice President:

Prof. Kees van Heeringen

the World Health Organization

ANDREJ MARUSIC, 1965-2008

Treasurer:

Prof. Thomas Bronisch

General Secretary:

Assoc. Prof. Annette Beautrais

National Rep:

Dr Murad Khan

Organisational Rep:

Dr Jerry Reed

newsbulletin COUNTRY REPORT: IRELAND

COUNTRY REPORT: PAKISTAN

ROOM FOR OPTIMISM??? After many years of the booming economy the possibility of a slide into recession looms large. There are already talks of major cut backs in spending on public service and inevitably this will effect all aspects of the health services in Ireland. Prior to this there was already a demand for a ‘saving’ of 3 euros million on health spending and an embargo on staff recruitment. The Irish National Suicide Prevention Strategy ‘Reach Out’ was launched in 2005 and the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) established to coordinate the implementation of the strategy, and budgets were agreed for both. While the strategy did not set any targets for suicide prevention the Department of Health subsequently set a target of a 10% reduction in suicide by 2010. The strategy was well received and generated a great deal of interest in suicide prevention. A sum of 5,500,000 euros was promised for the first 3 years of the strategy but to date only 3,500,000 euros has been received. Consequently many worthwhile projects will be curtailed or abandoned. Unfortunately, due to the recession, further cuts in the budget allocation are expected and questions arise as to the future of suicide in Ireland. It seems to me that the success of any suicide prevention strategy largely depends of the appropriate level of funding for the duration of the strategy.

An additional problem in suicide prevention arises from the plight of the Irish Mental Health Services. ‘Vision for the Future’, a policy document recommending radical changes in our ailing mental health services, was launched some years ago. Additional funding of 50 million euros over two years was allocated to kick start the implementation of the programme. Unfortunately much of this was diverted to other health areas by the Health Service Executive (HSE). The embargo on staff recruitment will have a serious effect the number of psychiatrists, counsellors and other support services for suicidal persons.

Of interest to many readers will be the ‘Review of General Bereavement Support and Specific Services Available Following Suicide Bereavement’ produced by Petrus. One of the conclusions was that ‘No clear and compelling evidence-based justification has been identified that suggests that

SUICIDE PREVENTION IN PAKISTAN

suicide bereavement support is sufficiently different so as to require a standalone, dedicated response’. Comments on this would be welcome.

Pakistan is a South Asian developing country with a population of approximately 162 million. 97% population are Muslims. Suicide is a condemned act in Islam. In recent years, traditional low suicide rates and the protective influence of Islam have undergone a radical change and suicide has become a major public health problem in Pakistan. The deteriorating economic conditions and increasing poverty and unemployment are being blamed for this rise. Despite this, there are no official statistics. Suicide is not included in the national annual mortality statistics nor reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). Under Pakistani law suicide and deliberate self-harm (DSH) are illegal acts, punishable with a jail term and financial penalty. Many victims seek private treatment. Suicide and DSH are, therefore, under-reported in Pakistan.

Reporting of suicide, in particular murder suicide of which there have been an unprecedented number in Ireland in the past two years, remains a problem. On a positive note there have been a number of exciting joint projects between the two jurisdictions on the island of Ireland in suicide prevention and the promotion of positive mental health in the past few years.

In the last decade there has been a huge increase in the number of voluntary organisations involved in all aspects of suicide prevention, both local and national, seeking a slice of the dwindling recourses available from the corporate sector, the public and statutory bodies. This has led to a great deal of costly duplication which needs to be addressed. Among the long standing stalwarts like Samaritans, the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF), and the Irish Association of Suicidology (IAS), a number of exciting new ventures have come on the scene – these include SpunOut, Console, Pieta House, Living Links, Headstrong, and Teen Line to name but a few. Following a successful 18 month pilot and evaluation, in 2009 Samaritans will add 'live' emotional support via SMS text message to its 24 hour helpline services in Ireland.

Sources of information Information on suicide in Pakistan comes from newspapers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), voluntary and human rights organizations and from hospital-based studies on acute intentional poisoning, DSH and forensic autopsies. Suicide appears to cut across all ethnic, provincial and rural/urban boundaries and has been reported from almost all parts of the country. Suicide rates/numbers While official rates of suicide are lacking, research conducted at Aga Khan University, Karachi show the total number of suicides in Pakistan is probably in the range of 6000-7000/year with rates in different cities of the country as: 0.43/100,000/year (Peshawar 1991-2000), 2.86/100,000 (Rawalpindi, 2006), 2.1/100,000 (Karachi, 1995-2001), 1.08/100,000 (Karachi, 1993-95), 1.12/100,000 (Faisalabad, 1998-2001) and 2.6/100,000 (Larkana, 2003-2004).

In spite of all this gloom and doom there is, in general, a lively and healthy interest in suicide and suicide prevention in Ireland and, hopefully, this will ensure that suicide prevention will be a live issue on the political agenda and sustain our enthusiasm in working to reduce suicide .

Age & Gender Highest gender-specific rates were: for men 5.2/100,000 in Rawalpindi and Haripur; for women 16.7/100,000 in Ghizer District in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Suicide is mostly committed by young people most suicide victims are in the age group 18 to 30 years. An analysis of 5394 suicides showed poisoning (34%), hanging (26%), firearms (16%),

Suicide prevention Suicide prevention remains a neglected area in Pakistan. A multi-sectoral approach that address both proximal and distal factors is needed: low cost community mental health programs with suicide prevention integrated within them; psychological management of DSH; restricting availability of poisons and firearms; and school based life-skills programs are ways of addressing suicide. The ‘criminalization’ of DSH has lead to stigma, avoidance of health seeking help and of developing innovative prevention programs. There is a need to review the law so people can seek psychological help without fear of authorities. Most suicide victims belong to the lower socio-economic strata of society where poverty and unemployment are high. Hence there is need for equitable and fair social policies to improve social conditions in the country. Lastly, suicide statistics need to be collected through a standard system so that information obtained can be used for research, to inform policy and develop prevention programs.

Lack of resources, poorly established primary and mental health services and weak political processes make suicide prevention a formidable challenge in Pakistan. Murad M Khan, MRCPsych Professor, Department of Psychiatry Aga Khan University Karachi, PAKISTAN IASP National representative for Pakistan Murad.khan@aku.edu

Befrienders Worldwide Conference, Jomiten, Thailand, 25-28 October 2008 'Forward Together' www.befrienders.org/link/ externaldelegates.html

John Connolly, National Representative, Ireland. drjfc@iol.ie

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drowning (11%), self-immolation (5%) and jumping (heights, trains, moving vehicles) (1% each) as the most common methods. Use of medications featured in only a minority. Organosphosphate insecticides were the most common poisons.

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2008 Conference Jointly presented by the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention and Association Québécoise de prévention du suicide

Quebec City, October 2008 For more information, please check: www.aqps.info

The conference is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, Faculty of Social Sciences, the University of Hong Kong.

For submission of abstracts,registration details and programme overview see the website http://csrp.hku.hk/iasp2008.

Notification of Results June 30, 2008 Deadline for Early Bird Registration July 15, 2008 Deadline for Normal Registration Sep 30, 2008

Important Dates Deadline for Abstract/ Poster Submission April 30, 2008

International Association for Suicide Prevention

newsbulletin

TEMBER 200

newsbulletin

International Association for Suicide Prevention

IASP – WHO guidelines, Preventing Suicide

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Challenges in Media Attention to Suicide

Members of the International Association for Suicide Prevention

We live in a world where the media are preoccupied by wars, terrorism and homicides.These topics are the major headlines daily. However, more people die each year by suicide than in all wars, terrorist incidents and murders combined. Each year more humans kill themselves than are killed by others. Yet, the tragic loss of life by suicide receives very little media coverage compared to wars, terrorism and homicides. For the sixth year, IASP is trying to call more attention to suicide prevention on 10 September, World Suicide Prevention Day. This year we hold a public conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and the IASP President is invited to the UN press briefing. The journalists are generally surprised by the annual toll of suicide worldwide and some hunt for a good story with provocative questions, such as: "Are all suicide bombers mentally ill?" "Are Democrats in the US more suicidal than Republicans?" Media interest in World Suicide Prevention Day provides an opportunity to call greater attention to suicide prevention. However, as is clearly indicated in the recently published IASP – WHO guidelines, Preventing Suicide: a Resource for Media Professionals, media reports on suicide can be associated with subsequent increases in suicides. Thus, understanding the potential risks of producing perverse negative effects is an important challenge in drawing media attention to suicide prevention on World Suicide Prevention Day. Is it possible that some media reports on World Suicide Prevention Day, rather than increasing awareness of suicide prevention, could result in increases in suicides? One would certainly hope not. All the research on the negative effects of media reports concern depictions of specific suicidal behaviours, deaths and attempts, fictional or real. This contrasts with the focal messages that IASP tries to communicate to the media: how to prevent suicides and the need for increased development and support of effective suicide prevention programmes, as well as help for persons bereaved by suicide.

Our greatest fear each year

(IASP) Suicide and the Media Task Force recently revised the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on reporting suicide, drawing Dr Jane Pirkis, CHAIR OF IASP on their collective expertise in suicide prevention and journalism. MEDIA TASK FORCE Like their predecessor, the new guidelines are not about censorship. They recognise that there are occasions when suicide will be newsworthy, and provide guidance on responsible reporting in these situations. The new guidelines provide a brief overview of the evidence for media reporting of suicide leading to ‘copy-cat’ acts, and then provide 11 tips for media professionals faced with preparing a report on suicide. Specifically, they suggest the following: (1) Take the opportunity to educate the public about suicide; (2) Avoid language which sensationalises or normalises suicide, or presents it as a solution to problems; (3) Avoid prominent placement and undue repetition of stories about suicide; (4) Avoid explicit description of the method used in a completed or attempted suicide; (5) Avoid providing detailed information about the site of a completed or attempted suicide;

(6) Word headlines carefully; (7) Exercise caution in using photographs or video footage; (8) Take particular care in reporting celebrity suicides; (9) Show due consideration for people bereaved by suicide; (10) Provide information about where to seek help; (11) Recognise that media professionals themselves may be affected by stories about suicide.

The guidelines also provide some pointers on reliable sources of information. The new guidelines are a joint publication of the WHO and IASP, and can be found and downloaded at http://www.iasp.info/suicide_and_the_media.php All members of IASP will be sent a hard copy of the new guidelines.

is that some reporters will miss the message, ignore the guidelines and produce reports that publicize suicides in a manner that risks producing increases in suicidal behaviours. However, thus far, the reporters have been generally responsible on World Suicide Prevention Day. They call attention to the problem and often focus on solutions and the need for greater implementation of suicide prevention strategies. This year we will also profit from the recent publication of the updated media guidelines to inform reporters of best practices in reporting on suicide. Nevertheless, we still need to be keenly aware that there are risks of misguided media attention to suicide. Reporters vary greatly in their willingness to implement the IASP – WHO guidelines and in their awareness of the potential negative consequences of some of their reports.

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Registrations and abstract submissions are now open for the 27–31 October 2009 XXV IASP World Congress in Montevideo, URUGUAY

www.iasp.info

This year, I encourage IASP members, in their contacts with the media, to distribute the new guidelines and help educate reporters and other media personnel on the importance of responsible reporting on suicide and their potential to play an important role in suicide prevention worldwide. Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D mishara.brian@uqam.ca

Join us in San Francisco for our 42nd Annual Conference! 15–18 April 2009 President:

In official relations with

Prof. Brian Mishara

Vice President:

Assoc. Prof. Heidi Hjelmeland

Vice President:

Prof. Kees van Heeringen

the World Health Organization

Treasurer:

Prof. Thomas Bronisch

General Secretary:

Assoc. Prof. Annette Beautrais

National Rep:

Dr Murad Khan

Organisational Rep:

Dr Jerry Reed

newsbulletin Suicide prevention in NORWAY

Suicide prevention in URUGUAY

Norway got its National Suicide Prevention Action Plan in 1994 and since then we have worked systematically with suicide prevention activities both nationally and regionally. To begin with, these activities were organized as time limited projects, but from 2006/2007 onwards suicide prevention was organized in permanent structures: In addition to a National Suicide Research and Prevention Center in Oslo, there Dr Heidi Hjemeland are suicide prevention teams working in 5 Regional Resource Centers for Violence, Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention covering the eastern, southern, western, central, and northern parts of the country. Other institutions working systematically with suicide prevention in Norway are the Department of Suicide Research and Prevention at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, VIVAT (the national education program Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training developed by LivingWorks Education in Canada), and LEVE (the national organization for those bereaved by suicide).

Uruguay has traditionally had high rates of suicidal behavior, particu-

More recently, in 2007 the suicide rate rose to 18 per 100,000, and suicide attempts increased to 66.6 per 100,000. In 22 years, suicide rates in Uruguay increased 45.7%, while suicide attempts

From the start, the suicide prevention activities have been organized around three main domains:

In Uruguay suicide rates are higher in men, and suicide attempt rates are higher in women,

systematic knowledge generation (research), systematic knowledge dissemination, and establishment of systematic treatment and follow-up chains for suicide attempters. The number of research projects has increased considerably during the last years and covers a very broad spectrum of the suicidological field. Educational programs of different shapes and sizes, and for many different groups, are constantly being developed and implemented, both regionally and nationally. National suicide prevention conferences are organized every three years, and there are 1-2 regional conferences annually in most of the regions. A national suicidological journal is published with three issues annually. On the World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) there are national and regional events every year. At present, LEVE is responsible for organizing the WSPD activities in collaboration with the IASP national representative and the national center.

consistent with the typical profile in many countries. The risk of suicide increases with age, although suicide rates are increasing amongst young people aged 15 to 24. Suicide attempts are more common in younger, rather than older, people.

Of the current activities reported from the centers the following can be mentioned: Guidelines for suicide prevention in mental health care were published earlier this year and are now being implemented. Guidelines for follow-up of those bereaved by suicide are currently being developed. Some of the regions have also started aiming their work outside the health care system. Hopefully, such population based activities will increase in the years to come, since the main focus so far has been on the health care system and towards some of the high risk groups (particularly suicide attempters). Many of the centers report an increasing demand for knowledge about cultural issues in suicide prevention since Norway is becoming an increasingly multicultural society. In spite of all these activities, not much has happened to the suicide rate lately. After about two decades with a continuous increase of the suicide rate (from the late 1960s), a top was reached in 1988 after which the rate decreased. However, the suicide rate leveled out from the mid-1990s, and has

larly striking within the Latin American context since most countries in Latin America have relatively low suicide rates. Uruguay has higher suicide rates than some developed European countries, although lower than the Eastern European countries.

Until 2002 Uruguay had suicide rates which were consistent with the

Dr Silvia Palaez average international rates. However, in 2002, coincident with of one of the most important socio-economic crises in the country's history the suicide rate increased to 21 per 100,000. In 2006, the capital (Montevideo) had a suicide rate of 14 per 100,000, and at that time a national day for suicide prevention was proposed by the NGO, Ultimo Recurso.

increased 58.5%.

In 2007, most suicides occurred by firearms and hanging, methods used mostly by men. To address this, an initiative was begun by the current Ministerio del Interior which, in association with various NGOs, is trying to restrict access to weapons, as a way of environmental control and, indirectly, to prevent suicide. The most common method of suicide attempts in the female population is by overdose of psychiatric medication. Our internal reality: Montevideo and the Interior of the country.

Within Uruguay, during 2007, the departments most affected by suicide were Rocha and Tacuarembo. As a consequence the Mayor of Rocha asked for the NGO Ultimo Recurso to prepare a Prevention Plan, which has been developed since March 2008 in the city of Castillos. From 2004 in Montevideo, the Mayor along with Ultimo Recurso developed a suicide prevention plan in the West Zone, the area with the highest rates of suicidal behavior. By 2007, the West Zone of Montevideo had the lowest rates of suicide. The 2009 IASP congress in Montevideo Uruguay will be an opportunity for many issues relating to suicidal behavior in Uruguay to be discussed with our international colleagues. Dr. Silvia Peláez Directora de Ultimo Recurso and IASP national representative for Uruguay spelaez@ultimorecurso.com.uy Lic. Patricia Wels Operadora Telefónica de Último Recurso

remained rather stable around 12/100 000 since then.

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Befrienders Worldwide Conference, Jomiten, Thailand, 25-28 October 2008 'Forward Together' www.befrienders.org/link/ externaldelegates.html

C O N F E R E N C E S

2008 Conference Jointly presented by the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention and Association Québécoise de prévention du suicide

Quebec City, October 2008 For more information, please check: www.aqps.info

The conference is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, Faculty of Social Sciences, the University of Hong Kong.

For submission of abstracts,registration details and programme overview see the website http://csrp.hku.hk/iasp2008.

Notification of Results June 30, 2008 Deadline for Early Bird Registration July 15, 2008 Deadline for Normal Registration Sep 30, 2008

Important Dates Deadline for Abstract/ Poster Submission April 30, 2008

International Association for Suicide Prevention

newsbulletin

tober 2008

International Association for Suicide Prevention

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Maybe what we don't know can hurt us The old adage, “Look and thee shall find,” clearly explains important gaps in our knowledge about suicide prevention. Researchers have simply been looking mostly at certain populations and types of prevention activities and almost ignoring others. A survey of research publications on suicide (but not “assisted suicide”) in PsychINFO and PubMed from 1 January to 31 December 2007 conducted by our centre's librarian Evelyne Pilon, indicated that some age groups and prevention methods are clearly over and under represented.We know that worldwide, most suicides occur in adulthood and in most Western countries (where most of the suicidology research is conducted) the elderly have the highest suicide rates. Yet we find that 38% of the PsychINFO research publications and 37% in PubMed concerned teens and children under age 18. This compares to 42% and 43% on adults and 19 and 12% on persons over age 65. When we examine what types of suicide prevention activities have been studied, we find that overall 46% concern evaluations of the effectiveness of medications and only 6.5% assess psychotherapy and 2.2% report on telephone help lines.

So, we know a lot more about preventing teen and youth suicides than their relative risk would seem to warrant. We also know a tremendous amount about which medications may be helpful in preventing suicide and, in comparison, very little about other prevention methods and interventions. We can understand the plethora of medication research because of the great investment in drug studies by the pharmaceutical industry. However, the popularity of studying youth suicide and the under-representation of research on adults and the elderly can only be explained by a greater interest in youth suicide prevention. One of the important challenges for suicide prevention is to attract more researchers to study the elderly and suicide in adulthood. Since the researchers themselves are adults, one would think that they should be more interested in their own peers (as well as what will occur with their peer group as they grow old). However, popular publicity focuses upon the preservation of youth and, as much as we may want to think that suicidology researchers are above such influences, the attraction of youth is prevalent in our field.

As for the dearth of studies of prevention methods other than drugs, finances cannot be ignored. Research on psychotherapy, social interventions, internet and helplines is not easy to finance. Furthermore, organizations involved in providing volunteer services or those that are not affiliated with a major university, are less likely to have the resources and a culture that promotes research on the services they offer. In order to understand more about other prevention methods and their effectiveness, we need to incite non-traditional research milieus to become involved in research studies. We also have to entice researchers to expand their horizons outside their research institutions and universities to study the wide range of suicide prevention activities that we find around the world. Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D mishara.brian@uqam.ca

New IASP Task Force: Emergency Medicine and Suicidal Behavior There is emerging interest in Emergency Departments (EDs) as sites for suicide prevention prompted by increasing presentations to EDs for suicidal behaviour in many countries. In response, most national strategies for suicide prevention include an explicit focus on improving assessment, treatment and management of people who present to the ED.

While suicide researchers and policy analysts are paying increasing attention to EDs as sites for screening and intervention, traditionally, suicide prevention has not been a focus for emergency physicians and other ED staff. Emergency physicians are expert in the acute management, resuscitation, and stabilization of suicide attempt patients. However, their expertise in EMS, toxicology, and medical aspects of disease has not always extended to the management of psycho-social problems. Buy building collaborative bridges with mental health professionals, emergency staff can better manage suicide attempt patients and help stratify those who are at imminent risk.

For these reasons, there is a need a need for improved collaboration between emergency medicine and suicide prevention. To address this challenge IASP has convened a new Task Force on Emergency Medicine and Suicidal Behaviour. The Task Force has the following goals: • To improve linkages between suicide researchers and emergency physicians and other ED staff; • To develop sysytematic reviews of research about suicide prevention and emergency medicine (including screening, surveillance, interventions); • To identify gaps in knowledge, to develop a research agenda to address these gaps, and to encourage relevant research; • To focus on developing research and interventions which are appropriate for both developed and developing countries, and to promote research which can be generalized from developed to developing countries. • To identify, collect and collate guidelines for emergency department management of suicidal patients which have been developed in various countries, and examine and report on their content, development and implementation; • To work collaboratively with emergency physicians and other ED staff to develop and promote evidence based recommendations for developing and implementing suicide preventtion activities in EDs. • To assemble an international body of experts which can provide authoritative comment on issues regarding emergency medicine and suicidal patients and suicide prevention. Planned activities The above goals will be achieved through the following activities: • We will develop a 'virtual network' of individuals and organisations with an interest in suicide and emergency medicine; President:

In official relations with

Prof. Brian Mishara

Vice President:

Assoc. Prof. Heidi Hjelmeland

Vice President:

Prof. Kees van Heeringen

the World Health Organization

Dr Gregory Luke Larkin

Chair of the Emergency Medicine Task Force

• We will organise symposia on suicide and emergency medicine at IASP congresses; • We will develop a section on suicide and emergency medicine on the IASP website to increase awareness of IASP members about this issue, and • We will develop a bank of experts to act as an internationally recognised, IASP-supported spokesgroup on issues relating to suicide and emergency medicine; • We will review and report on suicide and emergency medicine research, and encourage international collaborative research on these matters; • We will act as a clearing house for international guidelines on suicide and emergency medicine, and provide summary information on their content and the processes by which they have been developed and implemented; • We will produce recommendations for developing and implementing suicide intervention and prevention activities in emergency medicine. Contact details

The Task Force will be chaired by Professor Gregory Luke Larkin, Professor of Surgery and Public Health, and Associate Director of Emergency Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine. Co-Chairs will be Professor Murad Khan, of the Aga Khan University in Karachi, a psychiatrist with a specific interest in emergency medicine in developing countries, and Associate Professor Annette Beautrais, of New Zealand, an ED suicide researcher. IASP members interested in joining this Task Force are invited to contact the Chair or co-Chairs (below). People interested in joining the Task Force who are not yet IASP members are invited to join IASP using the online submission form at www.iasp.info A meeting of the Task Force will be held at the XXVth IASP Congress in Montevideo October 2009 (www.iasp.info). The Task Force will also organise symposia on emergency medicine and suicide at this congress and invites researchers interested in presenting their papers in these symposia to contact the Chairs now with their abstracts. Prof. Gregory Luke Larkin Gluke (gluke.larkin@yale.edu) Prof. Murad Khan Murad (murad.khan@aku.edu) Associate Prof. Annette Beautrais (Annette.Beautrais@otago.ac.nz)

Please forward, distribute or disseminate this newsletter to others to whom it would be of interest

Treasurer:

Prof. Thomas Bronisch

General Secretary:

Assoc. Prof. Annette Beautrais

National Rep:

Dr Murad Khan

Organisational Rep:

Dr Jerry Reed

newsbulletin A report on suicide and suicidal behaviour in JAMAICA ABOUT JAMAICA Jamaica is the 3rd largest island in the Greater Antilles, ranking behind Cuba and Hispaniola, but ahead of Puerto Rico. Its population is 2.7 million at the last census in 2001, comprising mainly people of African descent, with Chinese, East Indians, Syrians, Jews, Europeans and mixed races in the minority. The Dr Lorraine Barnaby capital is Kingston. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Historians writing about the Middle Passage and other aspects of the African slave trade have declared that the suicide rate among these slaves was very high – some starved themselves or threw themselves overboard before they reached the Caribbean, others deliberately tried escape, knowing that punishment quite likely meant death. SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR IN JAMAICA A former British colony, the island became independent in 1962. Suicide was a relatively rare occurrence in the years following the abolition of slavery in 1938 up to the 1990’s. A study by Burke in 1985 found a suicide rate of 1.4 per 100,000. Towards the end of that period, the nation, which in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s had been relatively stable and with a reliance on sugar, banana and bauxite as the main sources of income, experienced social changes – political, ideologic and economic which caused an increasing rate of violence – turned outwards as murder and inward as suicide. In fact, 1998 had the highest murder and suicide rate to have been seen in the island. Cuba Haiti

Dominican Republic Puerto Rico

Jamaica CARRIBEAN SEA

SOUTH AMERICA

A psychological autopsy study by Irons-Morgan in 1998 found a suicide rate of 2.8 per 100,000 – double that of 13 years before. By the year 2000, the rate was even higher, 3 per 100,000. Since then, the rate of suicide has not exceeded that of 2000, but murders continue to increase. The male-female ratio of suicide is about 7 to 1, and hanging is the most common method, followed by firearms. Drowning, self immolation and taking of poison are also employed. Suicidal behavior has also been studied. Sankar in 1995, found that there were significant psychological problems in persons who presented over a three-month period. The factors found to be of importance in suicidal behavior included the presence mental illness with major depression a significant factor. Precipitating factors were an argument just before the attempt, and financial and relationship problems. Females were more likely to demonstrate suicidal behavior. Medication overdose was the most common method of parasuicide. Barnaby (2001) studied admissions to the University Hospital of the West Indies over a 25 year period and found that such admissions increased over ten-fold from the 1970’s to 2001. CURRENT CONSIDERATIONS Across the Caribbean, persons from adolescensce to 40 are increasingly involved in suicide. Substance abuse is an important factor. Youth suicides are of concern as they occur at the time of the 11+ or Grade six achievement test (GSAT). The students take an exam which if successfully negotiated allows them to go to secondary school. There is tremendous psychological pressure on them, as failure to pass the GSAT almost always dooms them to failure on the job market. Pesticide use is not a major problem, but does occur with generally fatal results. The on-going education by the Agriculture ministry about safe storage seems to have had good effect. On the other hand, the use of household bleach as a suicide agent, seems to be increasing among young women. In the last week alone two such persons were admitted to the Ear, nose and throat ward for management of the corrosive effect of the bleach. Cannabis is associated with suicide, as is seen in many international studies. The use of prescription and over-the-counter medications continues and is the most common parasuicide method in Jamaica as well as other islands. Murder- suicide has emerged as a serious issue over the last decade, with women the victims of murder in the majority of cases. Males comprised 94.2% of those committing murder, then took their own life. 75% of murder-suicide cases occurred in rural areas.

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Befrienders Worldwide Conference, Jomiten, Thailand, 25-28 October 2008 'Forward Together' www.befrienders.org/link/ externaldelegates.html

3.5 3.0 2.5

Suicide rate/ 100,000

2.0 1.5

Murdersuicide rate/ 100,000

1.0 0.5 0

1992

1994

1996 1998 2000 2002

2004 2006

Whenever there is a high-profile suicide or a perception of something unusual about the situation, print and television go to extreme lengths to cover the event. The newly published media guidelines for suicide reporting will help to improve this situation.

Please send any news items, articles of interest or conference announcements for the monthly news bulletin to the editor, Dr Annette Beautrais: annette.beautrais@otago.ac.nz

REGISTRATIONS AND ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR THE 27–31 OCTOBER 2009 XXV IASP WORLD CONGRESS IN MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY

www.iasp.info

C O N F E R E N C E S

2008 Conference Jointly presented by the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention and Association Québécoise de prévention du suicide Quebec City, October 2008 For more information, please check: www.aqps.info

3RD ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF SUICIDE PREVENTION Suicide research and prevention in times of rapid change in the Asia Pacific Region: Opportunities and challenges. 31 October – 3 November 2008, Hong Kong Join us in this special and important regional conference and join hand in suicide prevention. Further information on programme and speakers can be found at: http://csrp.hku.hk/iasp2008/ Deadline of registration at regular conference rate has been extended to October 17. Limited seats for local students and local delegates are available, please register online

at https://www.fo-d.com/iasp2008/ immediately. For enquiry on conference registration, please contact conference secretariat at: registration@iasp2008.com Affordable accomodations can be specially arranged. Please contact csrp@hku.hk for further details.

International Association for Suicide Prevention

newsbulletin

EMBER 200 8

International Association for Suicide Prevention

FROM THE PRESIDENT Golden Gate Bridge barrier approved, Asia-Pacific Regional Conference and lottery for free hotel in Montevideo

After decades of debate and over 1300 lives lost to suicide the bridge authority approved for the first time the construction of a physical barrier to prevent suicides. The board that controls the bridge opted for putting a metal net along the structure that would partially collapse around anyone who jumped into it, allowing rescuers to fish the person out without harm. Perhaps the letter from IASP and the IASP members around the world who were invited to offer their opinion last August in this column may have had some impact on their decision. However, do not expect construction to start soon. The construction is subject to an environmental review of the net’s effect on the pelicans and cormorants that nest on the bridge. Also, they have not yet obtained financing of the $40 - $50 million cost. Asia-Pacific Regional Conference The Third bi-annual Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, held in Hong Kong on 31 October to 3 November 2008 included 119 oral presentations on research and interventions in suicide prevention, and 52 poster presentations. Researchers, practitioners, planners, suicide survivors and volunteers from 18 different countries shared their recent discoveries and innovative practices in a welcoming environment hosted by Paul Yip and his dedicated staff of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, The University of Hong Kong. The conference theme, “Suicide Research and Prevention in Times of Rapid Change in the Asia Pacific Region: Opportunities and Challenges” was particularly appropriate in the context of the world economic crisis and was the focus of attention of journalists who covered this event. The 2010 Asia Pacific Regional Conference will be held in Australia and we are currently open for proposals to host the 2012 regional conference. Lottery for Free Hotel in Montevideo For those of you who are planning to attend the 2009 World Congress on Suicide Prevention in Montevideo, I would like to remind you of an opportunity to win a free complimentary hotel stay at the congress venue, the Radisson Montevideo, during the Congress. Registration has just opened for the congress and we are ready to accept early registration (at a substantial discount). There will be a lottery of the first 50 persons to register and pay their full registration fees: the winner will receive a 4-night free stay at the Radisson during the congress. All you need to do in order to be eligible is to be one of the first 50 persons to send in your registration with fees.

JOIN A IASP TASK FORCE Task forces play an important role in IASP’s contributions to suicide prevention. They offer the opportunity for the IASP community of members, researchers, professionals, lay people and volunteers to focus Kees van Heeringen IASP Vice President deeply on a specific aspect of suicide and suicide prevention. There currently are seven very active IASP task forces targeting suicide prevention in the elderly, prisons, and defence and police forces, studying cross-national differences in certifying suicide deaths or the role of genetics in suicide, developing guidelines for media reporting of suicide, and supporting suicide survivors (see www.iasp.info/ task_forces.php). In addition, one new task forces are currently prepared, i.e. suicidal behaviour and emergency medicine and the development of best practice standards for helplines.

IASP cordially invites its members to share their knowledge and expertise with others by joining these activities, and thus contribute to IASP’s goal i.e. suicide prevention. In addition, members are invited to propose new topics for task forces. An example of a possible new task force could be ‘Decreasing the availability of means to commit suicide’, thereby aiming at developing guidelines for policy makers and mental health professionals. Members interested in joining an existing task force may contact the Task Force chairs (see list column right). Those interested in starting up a new task force can contact Kees van Heeringen, IASP Vice President, via cornelis.vanheeringen@ugent.be .

IASP TASK FORCES AND THEIR CHAIRS: • Cross-national differences in certifying suicide deaths: Paul Corcoran (paul.nsrf@iol.ie) • Suicide prevention in the elderly: Annette Erlangsen (aer@ncrr.dk), Sylvie Lapierre (Sylvie.Lapierre@uqtr.ca) • Suicide and the media: Jane Pirkis (j.pirkis@unimelb.edu.au), R. Warwick Blood (warwick.blood@canberra.edu.au) • Suicide in prisons and jails: Marc Daigle (marc.daigle@uqtr.ca) • Suicide in defence and police forces: Aaron Werbel (aaron.werbel@usmc.mil) • Postvention: Karl Andriessen (karl.andriessen@pandora.be), Michelle Linn-Gust (chellehead@aol.com), Seán McCarthy (sean.mccarthy@console.ie) • The genetics of suicide: Dan Rujescu (Dan.Rujescu@med.uni-muenchen.de) • Emergency medicine and suicidal behaviour: Greg Larkin (GLuke.Larkin@Yale.edu), Annette Beautrais (Annette.beautrais@otago.ac.nz), Murad Khan (Murad.khan@aku.edu) • The development of best practice standards for helplines: Dawn O'Neil (dawns@lifeline.org.au)

REVISED IASP/WHO MEDIA GUIDELINES Preventing Suicide: A Resource for Media Professionals The updated 2008 media resource prepared by the IASP Media Task Force is now available and can be accessed and downloaded at: www.iasp.info

XXV IASP WORLD CONGRESS MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY 27-31 OCTOBER 2009

A lottery will be held with the prize FOUR FREE NIGHTS in a double room at the Radisson Hotel during the congress. The winner will be drawn from the first 50 people to complete and register with payment for the congress.

The Second Announcement is now available:

Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D mishara.brian@uqam.ca

www.iasp.info President: In official relations with

LOTTERY

Prof. Brian Mishara

Vice President:

Prof. Heidi Hjelmeland

Vice President:

Prof. Kees van Heeringen

the World Health Organization

XXV IASP WORLD CONGRESS

Treasurer:

Prof. Thomas Bronisch

General Secretary:

Assoc. Prof. Annette Beautrais

National Rep:

Dr Murad Khan

Organisational Rep:

Dr Jerry Reed

newsbulletin COUNTRY REPORT: SOUTH AFRICA

Suicide statistics and prevention efforts Comparatively speaking, South Africa, which is part of the AFRO E region, appears to have higher suicide prevalence rates than many other African countries. Data from various studies provide Professor a disturbing profile of suicidal Lourens Schlebusch behaviour in South Africa with IASP national represenrates of up to 19 per 100,000 tative for South Africa of the population or higher having been reported. It is considered that up to 11% of all non-natural deaths in South Africa are due to suicides, and that for every suicide there are at least 20 attempted suicides. Based on this, estimates show that between 5 514 and 7 582 South Africans die of suicide annually and that between 110 280 and 151 646 or more engage in non-fatal suicidal behaviour annually. Suicide is higher among males than females, whereas non-fatal suicidal behaviour typically occurs more frequently among females than males. As is the case in some other parts of the world, there has been a shift in suicidal behaviour from the elderly to younger people in South Africa. The average age for suicide is around 35 and non-fatal suicidal behaviour tends to peak in the second decade of life. Almost one third of all non-fatal suicidal behaviours involve adolescents who make up the second most at risk age group for attempted suicide. When targeting prevention efforts, it is important to monitor these patterns on an ongoing basis as evidence shows that suicidal behaviour in different groups within the country changes across time. Suicide methods tend to differ across socio-demographic groups. Hanging is usually reported as the most commonly used method in suicide (typically accounting for between 34-43% of suicides). Other methods used are firearms (29-35%), ingestion of poison (9-14%), gassing (6-7%), burning (2-4%) and jumping off buildings or other high places (2-4%). Regarding non-fatal suicidal behaviour, the overall choice of method in 90% of cases is overdose. A wide variety of substances is ingested, but over-thecounter analgesics, prescription only medications (notably benzodiazepines and anti-depressants) are commonly used, along with household utility products such as paraffin, cleaning agents, pesticides and various poisons.

In certain vulnerable groups stress is a critical co-morbid AFRICA aetiological consideration in suicidal behaviour. A number of South African studies have clearly identified the role that family problems and interpersonal conflicts play in suicidal behaviour along with comorbid psychopathological conditions (in particular mood disorders, alcohol and drug abuse) In addition, South Africa is experiencing an HIV/AIDS pandemic and several studies have reported a potential link between suicidal behaviour and HIV/AIDS.

Although South Africa does have certain regional suicide prevention initiatives, a national programme is yet to be developed. A recommended framework for such a national suicide prevention programme, underpinned by international and South African research, has recently been published (Burrows & Schlebusch, 2008). Proposed strategies are aimed at individual/family, community and societal levels as well as at educational institutions and state level. Taking into account other research, this proposed future national prevention programme also includes an outline of goals, guiding principles and possible strategies specific to South Africa. South Africa is a developmental state that has undergone rapid transformation and democratization. Suicide prevention efforts, therefore, also need to take cognisance of the numerous stresses that the country in transition presents to its people. Burrows, S. & Schlebusch. L. (2008). Priorities and Prevention Possibilities for Reducing Suicidal Behaviour in South Africa. In: Seedat M, Van Niekerk A (Eds): Crime, Violence and Injury Prevention In South Africa. Data to Action. Cape Town: Medical Research Council, University of South Africa. pp173-201.

Professor Lourens Schlebusch schlebuschl@ukzn.ac.za

SAMARITANS Samaritans is a Charity with 201 branches and almost 15,000 volunteers across the UK and Republic of Ireland. The ultimate purpose of our work is to bring about a reduction in the number of people who die by suicide and it's a vision that has changed very little since we were founded some 55 years ago.

Every year, Samaritans' helpline services handle approximately 2.8 million contacts where there is some form of dialogue. People contact us via phone, JOE FERNS Deputy Director of email, SMS text messaging, letter or by dropping into Service Support branches. The principles of all these services are the same. Samaritans volunteers use active listening skills to encourage people to explore options that they may not realise they have. By encouraging people to talk we believe we can help them understand what they are feeling and how they might move forward.

In addition to our support services, we estimate that our work in schools reaches about 101,000 young people every year and involves general awareness talks and delivering lessons designed to change attitudes, improve skills and provide information. Further information on this work can be found at www.samaritans.org/deal.

Samaritans also provides training to agencies whose employees may come into contact with very distressed individuals. We have trained people from a wide range of backgrounds from over 140 agencies including emergency services personnel, health care staff and railway staff. Further information about our training services can be found at www.samaritans.org/externaltraining.

Work that we currently have in development at Samaritans includes a new service designed to support school communities in the aftermath of a suicide, a new technology platform which will allow us to integrate all our communication methods and answer more calls, an evaluation of the impact of our services and increasing the ways in which people can volunteer to support our work. In short, we are a household name and we reach a huge number and

Please send any news items, articles of interest or conference announcements for the monthly news bulletin to the editor, Dr Annette Beautrais: annette.beautrais@otago.ac.nz

S Y M P O S I U M

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range of people but we are far from complacent. We have developed such a level of trust and respect from the communities we serve that people will talk to us about their deepest worries and their darkest fears. It is a privileged position we occupy but with that privilege comes a duty to strive to be better, to challenge what we do and to find new ways of bringing about our ultimate goal of reducing suicide.

C O N F E R E N C E S

42nd AAS Annual Conference: A Global Agenda on the Science of Prevention, Treatment, & Recovery April 15 - 18, 2009 Westin St. Francis Hotel San Francisco, CA

SAVE THE DATE! JOIN US IN SAN FRANCISCO FOR: • Skill-enhancing workshops • Cutting-edge research presentations • Best practices in prevention programs • Four full days of content • Over 150 presenters • Invaluable networking opportunities For Additional Information: www.suicidology.org • 202-237-2280 • info@suicidology.org

The Aeschi Working Group The therapeutic approach to the suicidal patient: New perspectives for health professionals 5th AESCHI CONFERENCE 4.–7. MARCH 2009

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EMBER 200 8

International Association for Suicide Prevention

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Suicide and the economic depression: Reflections on suicide during the Great Depression Recently, journalists around the world have become interested in possible increases in suicide due to the current economic depression. They cite the supposedly “dramatic” increases in suicides during the Great Depression. However, it is probably a myth that the catastrophe of the crash of the stock market in late October 1929 caused an epidemic of dramatic suicides by distraught investors after they lost their fortunes. Suicide rates in the United States had been increasing each year steadily since 1925 and only a slightly greater increase in 1930 and 1931 may be attributed to the effects of the Great Depression (Mishara & Balan, 2002). Even for New York City, which may be thought to be particularly affected by the crash, the changes in suicide rates were not dramatic and rates there were also increasing slightly before 1930. There was certainly not an immediate effect of the stock market crash in October 1929. The number of suicides for the months of October and November 1929 in the United States was lower than all the other months that year except January, February and September. The greatest number of suicides in 1929 occurred during the summer months when the stock market was doing quite well. The Manhattan suicide rates for October 15 to November 13, 1929 were lower than the previous year.

Despite the fact that there was only a slight increase in deaths by suicide during the Great Depression, there were certainly a few well publicized suicides which may have fuelled the myth of a suicide epidemic. One of the most publicized suicides was that of J.J. Reordan who killed himself on Friday, November 8, 1929, but whose death by suicide was not announced in the newspapers until Sunday, November 10. On Friday, November 8, Reordan walked into the bank, took a pistol from a cashier, returned home and shot himself. It was later learned that the medical examiner who was called to the scene withheld announcing Reordan's death until after noon the next day (Saturday) just after the bank closed for the weekend. Despite rumours that Reordan lost a fortune in the stock market (which was later proven to be true when the death was publicized), his colleagues announced that Reordan never invested in stocks and that the bank was financially solid. There was also an announcement that the City of New York would maintain all its deposits in the County Trust Company. The end result was that his suicide did not cause a run on the bank. Several studies of the relationship between suicide and unemployment cover the period of the Great Depression. Platt's extensive literature review (1984) of unemployment and suicidal behaviour found that there is a consistent relationship between levels of unemployment and suicide rates during all periods. However, Platt's interpretation of the data was that

there may not be a direct causal link, but the increased suicide risk and unemployment may be due to mental health problems. Persons with mental health problems are at greater risk of suicide and are also at greater risk of being unemployed. However, his interpretation is subject to debate. Cook (1980) compared different methods of time series analyses to examine the relationship between suicide and unemployment in the United States between 1900 and 1970. He concluded that no matter which method is chosen, there is a significant link between unemployment and suicide.

This brief review of suicide in the Great Depression leads to the conclusion that, despite some highly publicized spectacular suicides which are clearly linked to personal financial losses, if suicide rates did increase as a result of the events during the Great Depression (and this may not be the case since suicide rates were already increasing in the preceding years), the increases in suicides related to this economic disaster were not dramatic in the United States.The most likely explanation for increased suicide during this period is the well documented link between unemployment and suicide. However, the interpretation of this relationship is subject to debate. Unemployment may lead to greater social vulnerability, including lesser social integration by decreasing the possibility of marriage and increasing divorce rates. However, both unemployment and suicide may be the result of increases in other factors, such as stress induced mental health problems. An alternative interpretation is that the presence of protective factors, such as development of social solidarity among vulnerable persons, may have compensated for any increased risk due to the difficult economic situation. Another possibility which has not been subjected to empirical verification, is that people in a desperate situation may tend to focus upon the needs of their family and loved ones. This focus upon the needs of others may be a protective factor to suicide since most suicides involve a primary focus on one's own suffering, rather than being concerned with the suffering of others.

IFOTES and its role in suicide prevention IFOTES’ (International Federation Of Telephone Emergency Services) history began in 1967 in Geneva (CH), when the main European National Federations of help-lines joined toDiana Rucli – Director gether. Today it has 32 members in 25 Countries, with over IFOTES – International Federation Of Telephone 500 hotlines; nearly 25,000 volunteer listeners carefully trained; 600 professionals coaching the volunteers and lead- Emergency Services ing the help-lines; over 5 million phone and internet contacts every year; thousands of face to face conversations.

One of the main objectives of IFOTES is to promote the exchange of experiences amongst members, especially by organizing international congresses, seminars and conferences which contribute to the quality of the services offered. It also supports all efforts to create listening centres worldwide.

IFOTES members’ hotlines started in the 50s, first closely related to suicide prevention. Further prevention was soon developed for those suffering from depression or loneliness, or being in a state of psychological crisis. Today, they offer emotional support to any person who simply needs to be listened to and be acknowledged, whatever his/her problem may be. The actual mission is to offer an empathetic listening that helps the caller develop resilience and capability to better manage his emotions.

Based on our experience, we are convinced that one of the most powerful ways to support people in distress, prevent suicide and develop emotional well-being is to understand with respect what others are experiencing, which is what we do every day on the phone, and to promote listening skills amongst the population. This has a direct impact on mental health and it refers to what is called “Emotional Health.”

Our members have been training volunteers with very different backgrounds for 50 years; the volunteers come from all sections of society and are selected and trained based on their ability to listen empathetically. Their experience testifies that learning communication skills such as listening, giving and receiving empathy, is life-serving, it improves coping skills and emotional well-being.

IFOTES, with the University of Geneva, has recently conducted ground-breaking research into the emotional profile of volunteers. This is both in terms of building up a general picture of the profile of volunteers worldwide, but also looking at the profile of individual volunteers in relation to their helpline work, and their home and family environment. The results of this research has been important for influencing volunteer selection criteria, informing training needs and methodologies, in addition to exploring emotional resilience and wider well-being in society.

Working in collaboration with sister organisations LifeLine International and the Samaritans/Befrienders Worldwide, IFOTES wishes to improve the quality of the listening services, develop new communication means and promote around the world the awareness that learning and offering training in communication and coping skills will contribute to suicide prevention and improve mental and emotional health. www.ifotes.org www.ifotescongress2007.org

Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D mishara.brian@uqam.ca References: Cook, T. D., Dintze Leonard, and Mark Melvin M. (1980), The causal analysis of concomitant time series, Applied Social Psychology Annual, 1, 93-135. Edmondson, B. (1987), Dying for dollars, American Demographics, 9(10), 14-15. Galbraith, J. K. (1954), The Great Crash 1929, Boston: HoughtonMifflin. Mishara, B. L. and Balan, B. (2004), Suicide. In Encyclopedia of the Great Depression. New York: Macmillan Reference, 948-950. Platt, S. D. (1984), Unemployment and suicidal behaviour: A review of the literature, Social Science and Medicine, 19, 93-115. Stack, S., (1992), The effect of the media on suicide: The Great Depression., Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 22 (2), 255-267.

President: In official relations with

If you are an organizational member of IASP and would like to feature the work of your organization in the newsletter please contact Jerry Reed, Chair of the Council of Organizational Representatives for IASP at jreed330@comcast.net for criteria for publication.

Prof. Brian Mishara

Vice President:

Prof. Heidi Hjelmeland

Vice President:

Prof. Kees van Heeringen

the World Health Organization

Treasurer:

Prof. Thomas Bronisch

General Secretary:

Assoc. Prof. Annette Beautrais

National Rep:

Dr Murad Khan

Organisational Rep:

Dr Jerry Reed

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American Association of Suicidology (AAS) AAS is a membership organization for all those involved in suicide prevention and intervention, or touched by suicide. AAS leads the advancement of scientific and programmatic efforts in suicide prevention through research, education and training, the development of standards and resources, and Dr Lenny Berman survivor support services.

Founded in 1968, the AAS has an illustrious history in suicide prevention activities and contributions. Bimonthly, AAS publishes the world’s oldest peer-reviewed journal in the field, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. In April, 2009, AAS will hold its 42nd annual conference in San Francisco, bringing together researchers, clinical practitioners, crisis workers, survivors, and others under a theme of A Global Agenda on the Science of Treatment, Prevention, and Recovery.

AAS’s Crisis Center Certification Program began in 1976 and, currently, has 141 crisis centers certified by AAS in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Since 1989, AAS has certified individual crisis workers, as well. In 2008, AAS began accrediting school-based professionals in its School Suicide Prevention Accreditation Program, designed to insure suicide prevention knowledge competencies among those working with at risk youth in our schools.

For practitioners, AAS has developed the most advanced and

to Suicide Risk: Essential Skills for Clinicians (RRSR), which has been given outstanding reviews by those who thus far have been trained in it. In 2009, AAS will debut a targeted suicide risk assessment and triage training curriculum for primary care physicians and staff.

Currently, AAS is working on three concurrent, federally-funded grants to study and prevent suicide on U.S. rail system rights-ofway and their impact on employees who witness or discover these suicides. It is intended that the identification of sites of high prevalence (“hot spots”), psychological autopsies, and root cause analyses being conducted, will lead to significant countermeasures to prevent such tragic deaths.

AAS has long convened task forces of researchers and specialists to address significant issues in Suicidology and suicide prevention. These task forces have produced consensus statements on Acute Risk Factors for Suicide, currently captured by the acronym/mnemonic IS PATH WARM; on Youth Suicide by Firearms; in addition to Discharge Planning Recommendations for Hospitals, Postvention Guidelines for Schools, Recommendations for the Reporting of Suicide by the Media, Survivor Support Group Leader Guidelines, and a Report on Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia.

AAS greatly values its membership in IASP and actively supports the efforts of our international partners and members. For more information, see www.suicidology.org.

extensive clinical training program, Recognizing and Responding

42nd AAS Annual Conference: A Global Agenda on the Science of Prevention, Treatment, & Recovery April 15 - 18, 2009 Westin St. Francis Hotel San Francisco, CA

In September 2008, Professor Brian Mishara, President of IASP, received the Special Contribution Award for his efforts in suicide prevention at the 2008 International Caring for Life Awards and Inspirational Forum hosted by the Dharma Drum Humanities and Social Improvement Foundation (DDHSIF) at the Grand Hotel in Taipei. Taiwan's suicide rate is ranked the third in Asia, with 4000 deaths each year. The awards and forum are held to draw public attention to the value of life, and DDHSIF promotes the idea of "caring for life" with the help of the media.

"The Way We Were" Many IASP members attended the ESSSB12 meeting in Glasgow in August 2008. More than 600 photos from the meeting are available at www.flickr.com/photos/esssb12/sets/ They are organised into sets according to the day(s) of the conference. Here's to ROME 2010!

For Additional Information: www.suicidology.org • 202-237-2280 • info@suicidology.org

XXV IASP WORLD CONGRESS MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY 27-31 OCTOBER 2009

LOTTERY A lottery will be held with the prize FOUR FREE NIGHTS in a double room at the Radisson Hotel during the congress. The winner will be drawn from the first 50 people to complete and register with payment for the congress.

The Aeschi Working Group

XXV IASP WORLD CONGRESS

5th AESCHI CONFERENCE 4.–7. MARCH 2009

The Second Announcement is now available:

www.iasp.info

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