Crisis
-
Whereas firearm suicide mortality has been a longstanding public concern worldwide, in Greece no systematic analysis has been reported so far despite the recent evidence of a rising rate of gun ownership. ⋯ As an important first step toward implementing preventive initiatives the authors stress the need for a thorough look at the sociocultural factors associated with firearms in the region.
-
Patients admitted to hospital because of self-harm should receive psychosocial assessment before discharge. In practice many of these assessments in the United Kingdom and elsewhere are undertaken by trainee rather than specialist psychiatrists. ⋯ Despite making fewer aftercare arrangements that involved statutory mental health care services, psychosocial assessment by mental health nurses showed no sign of detrimental effects on repetition of self-harm.
-
Despite the growing strength of the field of suicidology, various commentators have recently noted that insufficient effort is being put into intervention research, and that this is limiting our knowledge of which suicide prevention strategies might be the most effective. ⋯ We need to redouble our efforts and make intervention studies our priority if we are to combat the global problem of suicide.
-
The firearms climate in Ireland is rapidly changing, and there is currently no research on the risk profiles of those dying through firearms suicides. ⋯ The findings have implications for awareness training for suicide prevention workers and for those concerned with Ireland's increasingly liberal firearms climate.