Suizidprävention: Vorgehensweisen und Wirksamkeit

According to official statistics every year 11,000 persons in
Germany die from suicide. 20 years ago nearly 19,000 suicides were
registered. What are the causes for this decrease? Do suicide
preventive measures contribute to the reduction of suicide rates?
Different universal prevention strategies ( e. g. restriction of
access to means) and selective approaches ( programs for special
high-risk groups; e. g. patients after attempted suicide) are
presented and discussed regarding their preventive value. In most
cases it is hardly possible to scientifically prove the efficacy of
suicide prevention strategies. Neither the role of psychosocial
interventions nor the impact of psychotropic agents can be
sufficiently quantified. Due to various methodological reasons ( e.
g. small sample sizes and the lack of randomization),
interpretation of the data is difficult. In terms of a
comprehensive approach of suicide prevention a combination of
different activities should be most adequate in the long run.