WASHINGTON, CMC – The Pan-American Well being Group (PAHO) has collaborated with the US Nationwide Institute of Psychological Well being (NIMH) in bringing collectively policy-makers, civil society, and researchers this week to debate advances and gaps in suicide prevention analysis, in addition to to trade experiences on evidence-based prevention methods and establish priorities for suicide prevention within the Area of the Americas, together with the Caribbean.
In the course of the occasion, “Forging Connections: Bridging Coverage and Analysis for Suicide Prevention within the Americas: A Joint PAHO/NIMH Symposium,” PAHO stated delegates highlighted the significance of high quality knowledge and analysis for creating evidence-based prevention insurance policies and packages.
Additionally they confused the necessity for multi-sectoral collaboration to sort out rising charges of demise by suicide, which claims over 93,000 lives within the area annually, PAHO stated.
“Suicide is a public well being precedence for the Area of the Americas, and one which we are able to not afford to underprioritise,” stated PAHO Deputy Director Mary Lou Valdez throughout her opening remarks on the symposium.
Whereas suicide mortality charges have decreased globally by 36 % between 2000 and 2019, PAHO stated the Americas noticed a 17 % enhance within the variety of deaths by suicide throughout the identical interval.
PAHO stated suicide is at present the third main explanation for demise amongst younger individuals aged 20 to 24 within the area.
“The affect of the various lives misplaced to suicide transcends numbers and percentages,” the PAHO Deputy Director stated. “Each demise by suicide represents a profound loss, not just for that particular person’s household and pals however for total communities and society.”
PAHO stated addressing suicide requires “accelerated and coordinated actions” by nations and strategic companions.
These ought to embrace the event and monitoring of indicators on psychological well being and suicide “to facilitate evidence-informed selections based mostly on a complete understanding of native contexts,” PAHO stated.
It stated domestically related analysis on suicide and associated danger components can be “essential to figuring out efficient measures that would contribute to decreasing suicide charges throughout the area.”
In the course of the symposium, PAHO stated delegates participated in panel discussions on a wide range of matters, together with strengthening suicide surveillance programs; decreasing entry to deadly means; fostering socio-emotional life abilities in adolescents; accountable reporting on suicide; early identification, evaluation, administration, and comply with up for individuals affected by suicide; and supporting analysis on suicide prevention.
PAHO works with nations of the Americas to cut back suicide mortality utilizing the World Well being Group (WHO) LIVE LIFE Intervention Information for Suicide Prevention in Nations, which features a bundle of evidence-based methods and instruments.
PAHO stated its Excessive-Stage Fee on Psychological Well being and COVID-19 outlined suicide prevention as considered one of its ten precedence areas to advance psychological well being within the Americas.
Addressing suicide can be underscored within the PAHO Technique for Enhancing Psychological Well being and Suicide Prevention within the Area of the Americas, which was accredited through the sixtieth PAHO Directing Council in September 2023.
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