Suicide: Global Perspectives from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys

Suicide is a serious public health problem worldwide, accounting for more loss of life annually than all forms of war and interpersonal violence combined. Despite this fact, suicide remains a poorly understood problem, and progress in understanding suicidal behavior around the globe has been slow. This book represents a major advance in our understanding by reporting the results of the largest, most representative study of suicidal behaviors conducted to date - the WHO World Mental Health Survey Initiative, interviewing more than 100,000 people from 21 countries on 6 continents. Previously unavailable data on the prevalence, onset, persistence, risk, protective factors and treatment of suicidal behaviors are presented and discussed, along with the implications of these findings. This volume provides valuable information for clinicians, scientists, policy-makers and anyone seeking to understand the occurrence of suicidal behavior worldwide.