Source: Loop
A recent press release from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) highlights a study that could significantly impact suicide prevention strategies across the Americas which includes the Caribbean.
The research, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, suggests that implementing policies to restrict access to highly hazardous pesticides and firearms could prevent more than 120,000 suicide deaths in the region over 10 years.
According to the press release, the study was conducted with experts from PAHO and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Canada. The findings are particularly noteworthy given the current suicide trends in the Americas, where, unlike other WHO regions, the suicide mortality rate has increased in recent years.
Dr Anselm Hennis, Director of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at PAHO and co-author of the study emphasised the gravity of the situation. The press release quotes him as saying, “Suicide is preventable and each life lost is devastating. This study shows that effective policies that limit access to two of the most common suicide methods can have an impact on reducing mortality in the region.”
The research modelled data from 2020 to 2030 and found that in countries where firearms or pesticides account for 40% or more of suicides, implementing restrictions could lead to a substantial reduction in mortality rates.
Specifically, the press release states that such measures could reduce suicide rates by over 20% among males and 11% among females by 2030.
Dr Renato Oliveira e Souza, Chief of the PAHO Mental Health and Substance Use Unit and co-author of the study highlighted the importance of context in implementing these measures.
The press release quotes him as saying, “Implementing restriction measures is most effective when the methods are prevalent and account for a significant proportion of suicide deaths. However, it is also crucial to consider the sociocultural context when implementing means restriction policies.”
The potential impact of these measures varies across the region. The press release notes that in countries like El Salvador, Guyana, Nicaragua, and Suriname, where highly hazardous pesticides are a leading cause of suicide, pesticide restrictions could significantly reduce suicide rates.
Similarly, in the United States, where firearms account for over 40% of suicide deaths, targeted restrictions could lead to a marked decline in suicide rates over the next decade.
Perhaps most strikingly, the press release reports that the study predicts that in the non-Latin Caribbean subregion, implementing specific restrictions on highly hazardous pesticides in Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago could reduce suicide mortality rates by up to 31% among males and 34% among females.
These findings align with the World Health Organization’s “LIVE LIFE” approach to suicide prevention, which recommends means restriction as a key strategy.
As the Americas face rising suicide rates, the implementation of these evidence-based interventions could play a crucial role in meeting the WHO target of reducing the suicide mortality rate by one-third by 2030.
The press release concludes by stating that the researchers are calling for multisectoral collaboration to implement these life-saving measures, emphasising that each prevented suicide represents a life saved and a family spared from tragedy.
As the study demonstrates, targeted policy interventions have the potential to make a significant impact on public health and save tens of thousands of lives across the Americas in the coming years.