Effective suicide prevention requires targeting structural issues

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-11-29 00:01

New Zealand

Photo by Ty Downs on Unsplash

***This media release contains information some readers may find distressing as it refers to data about mental health, suicide and self-harm. If you or anyone you know needs help, support is available now. Call Lifeline (NZ) on 0800 543 354.***
Targeting structural issues is essential for suicide prevention, according to an editorial in NZ Medical Journal - otherwise 'major gains' are unlikely, regardless of any increases in health spending or staffing. Referring to a recent synthesis of suicide prevention evidence, the author writes that 'universal approaches' tackling underlying causes such as poverty, discrimination, violence, and alcohol control work well, but aren't used enough in Aotearoa. The editorial says whānau rather than individuals should be the focus of interventions, and that the 'Western, individualised and psychiatric perspective' of the Draft Suicide Prevention Action Plan has major limitations.

Media release

From: Pasifika Medical Association Group

Aotearoa New Zealand was one of the first countries in the world to have a suicide prevention strategy and associated action plan. Significant reductions in suicide are unlikely to be achieved with isolated interventions that fail to connect with a coherent public health approach. No matter how much money we spend on clinical services, or how much we expand our mental health workforce, unless we tackle the structural determinants associated with suicide in Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly racism, poverty, discrimination, violence and alcohol control, we are unlikely to make major gains in preventing deaths by suicide, particularly for Māori.

Multimedia

Dr Sarah Fortune - time for a more evidence-based approach to suicide prevention

Journal/
conference: New Zealand Medical Journal

Organisation/s: University of Auckland

Funder: N/A. Competing interests: SF was lead author on an evidence synthesis on suicide prevention commissioned by the Ministry of Health to support suicide prevention activities in Aotearoa New Zealand. She is an IASP New Zealand member representative, previous chairperson of SuMRC and current member of the Counties Manukau Local CYMRC. She conducts a range of suicide prevention research projects.

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