According to recent estimates by the World Health Organization, one million people worldwide commit suicide each year, making suicide the leading cause of violent death today. However, suicide prevention is possible if the risk factors that determine suicidal behavior are identified and controlled.

Some populations may be considered at risk and some circumstances may be considered risk factors, or potential triggers, for future suicidal behavior.
Prominent among these are mental illness, especially depression and schizophrenia. Personality disorders, especially borderline and antisocial disorders, and chronic disabling physical illnesses that produce biological and/or psychological vulnerability.

Prevention Approach

Suicide prevention can be approached in two ways:

High-risk population Psychiatric cases with a history of suicidal behavior, affective disorders, alcoholism, etc. 

In these cases it is proposed:

* Optimize the treatment of mental disorders and ensure the personal integrity of the patient.

* To improve continuity of care and social and health care coordination in relation to patients at high risk of suicide, once they have been discharged from a psychiatric hospitalization unit, especially without interrupting therapeutic contact.
* To improve the psychiatric training of primary care physicians in order to achieve early care and effective treatment of patients affected by mental disorders that increase the incidence of suicidal behavior.

* Improve continuity of care and social-health care coordination for patients at high risk of suicide, once they have been discharged from a psychiatric inpatient unit, especially without interrupting therapeutic contact.

* To improve the psychiatric training of primary care physicians in order to achieve early care and effective treatment of patients affected by mental disorders that increase the incidence of suicidal behavior.

General Population: 

* Inform the public about suicidal behaviors: prevalence, risk factors, behavioral disturbances, etc.

* Recommendations to the media to prevent the effect of imitation, especially among young people.
* Psychoeducation in civic, school and work centers on improving the quality of life and promoting health, learning resources or strategies for coping with stress, social skills, etc.

* Restructuring of the availability of means for suicide and security measures in places used by suicidal people.

* Actions on the consumption of alcohol and other drugs.