International Suicide Rates and Prevention Strategies

Finland; Norway; Australia; Sweden; Summary; Limitations; Evidence-based suicide prevention strategies; Conclusion; The Impact of Mental Health Programmes on Suicide Mortality; Psychiatric disorders as a risk factor for suicide; Affective disorders; Psychotic disorders; Anxiety disorders; Personality disorders; International responses to mental illness; The impact of mental health plans on suicide rates; Adolescents; All ages; Beyond mental health programmes: The need for specific suicide prevention activities; Conclusion; The Impact of Substance Abuse Policies on Suicide Mortality; Substance abuse as a risk factor for suicide; Alcohol; Opiates; Cannabls; Cocaine; Amphetamines; International responses to substance abuse; The impact of national substance abuse polices on suicide trends; Adolescents; All ages; Conclusion; Other Factors Impacting on Suicidal Behaviour; The Impact of Antidepressants on Suicide Mortality; The role of depression and its treatment in suicide prevention; History of a

be split into numerous volumes. With the specific nature of this book, an interested reader can focus on materials that are relevant with minimal distraction from unwanted information. The division of this book into four major sections; data, suicide trends, suicide prevention and facts impacting on suicidal behaviour; is a highly organised approach and it enhances readability. With this arrangement the reader can selectively focus on specific sections of interest. This 150-paged book contains succinct and straight-forward account in each chapter. The book is written in short sentences and the vocabulary is kept simple. This style of presentation of material enables readers from diverse backgrounds to comprehend the information with minimal efforts. The facts are presented in a way that easy reference is possible. By this arrangement a reader could see at a glance the rate of suicide and its preventive strategies in different parts of the world. Throughout this book information is presented in both text form and in graphical/tabular form. The combination of data in narrative and illustrative manner makes comprehension easy. In fact, using different colours for the graphs and tables will not improve its readability and comprehensibility to any significant extent. The provision of brief conclusion at the end of each chapter is innovative. It enables a cursory reader to benefit from the facts contained in each chapter without having to read the whole length of the chapter. This approach also helps retention of facts by those who read through the entire chapter, in that the conclusion serves as succinct summary. This book covers extensive geographic and cultural areas. Only developing cultures are not adequately covered. This is possibly because of dearth of data on rates and preventive strategies from those parts of the world. Hopefully, by the time the next edition is due ample information from the developing world may be available for inclusion. Typographical errors are minimal. They are unlikely to have any significant impact on the flow and understanding of the message conveyed by the text. On the whole, this is a well written book, designed to meet the needs of general readers and those of professionals, working in the area of suicide and attempted suicide. Medical students and students of psychology, sociology and social anthropology, as well as psychiatrists, psychologists, epidemiologists and policy-makers will find it useful. Researchers in behavioural sciences and related disciplines will find this book an important tool in pursuing their specific scientific enquiries. I recommend it for individual and institutional libraries. Journal of the National Medical Association, December issue 2006