WASHINGTON, CMC – The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has collaborated with the United States National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in bringing together policy-makers, civil society, and researchers this week to discuss advances and gaps in suicide prevention research, as well as to exchange experiences on evidence-based prevention strategies and identify priorities for suicide prevention in the Region of the Americas, including the Caribbean.
During the event, “Forging Connections: Bridging Policy and Research for Suicide Prevention in the Americas: A Joint PAHO/NIMH Symposium,” PAHO said delegates highlighted the importance of quality data and research for developing evidence-based prevention policies and programs.
They also stressed the need for multi-sectoral collaboration to tackle increasing rates of death by suicide, which claims over 93,000 lives in the region each year, PAHO said.
“Suicide is a public health priority for the Region of the Americas, and one which we can no longer afford to underprioritise,” said PAHO Deputy Director Mary Lou Valdez during her opening remarks at the symposium.
While suicide mortality rates have decreased globally by 36 percent between 2000 and 2019, PAHO said the Americas saw a 17 percent increase in the number of deaths by suicide during the same period.
PAHO said suicide is currently the third leading cause of death among young people aged 20 to 24 in the region.
“The impact of the many lives lost to suicide transcends numbers and percentages,” the PAHO Deputy Director said. “Every death by suicide represents a profound loss, not only for that individual’s family and friends but for entire communities and society.”
PAHO said addressing suicide requires “accelerated and coordinated actions” by countries and strategic partners.
These should include the development and monitoring of indicators on mental health and suicide “to facilitate evidence-informed decisions based on a comprehensive understanding of local contexts,” PAHO said.
It said locally relevant research on suicide and related risk factors is also “crucial to determining effective measures that could contribute to reducing suicide rates across the region.”
During the symposium, PAHO said delegates participated in panel discussions on a variety of topics, including strengthening suicide surveillance systems; reducing access to lethal means; fostering socio-emotional life skills in adolescents; responsible reporting on suicide; early identification, assessment, management, and follow up for people affected by suicide; and supporting research on suicide prevention.
PAHO works with countries of the Americas to reduce suicide mortality using the World Health Organization (WHO) LIVE LIFE Intervention Guide for Suicide Prevention in Countries, which includes a package of evidence-based strategies and tools.
PAHO said its High-Level Commission on Mental Health and COVID-19 outlined suicide prevention as one of its ten priority areas to advance mental health in the Americas.
Addressing suicide is also underscored in the PAHO Strategy for Improving Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in the Region of the Americas, which was approved during the 60th PAHO Directing Council in September 2023.
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