MHM Magazine

The 35th European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress took take place from 15 – 18 October 2022 in Vienna, Austria. A campfire discussion session was held with the topic Media and Suicide: fromWerther to Papageno Effects. The discussion was led by Benedikt Till from the Medical University of Vienna (Centre for Public Health, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion). The aim of the session was to explore the influence of the portrayal of suicide in the mass media on suicidal behaviour. The ultimate outcome of the discussion was that media plays and should play an important role in preventing suicide. This article will give an overview of the discussion held with added South African data to make it more relevant. The discussions centred around worldwide suicide statistics and exploring the Werther and Papageno effects. During June 2021, the WHO published the most recent available data on worldwide suicide statistics. In this paper they report that more than 700 000 people die due to suicide every year. It’s also known that for every suicide there are many more people who attempt suicide. Analysis has indicated that a prior suicide attempt is the single most important risk factor for suicide in the general population. A major concern is that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds. Furthermore 77% of global suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries with ingestion of pesticide, hanging and firearms being among the most common methods of suicide globally. In published data from the USA Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) they reported that nearly 46,000 people died by suicide in the USA in 2020 equating to 1 death every 11 minutes. Many more adults think about or attempt suicide. It’s estimated that in the USA 12.2 million seriously thought about suicide, 3.2 million made a plan for suicide, and 1.2 million attempted suicide. The most concerning statistic was that teen suicide increased by 29% since 2012/2014 to 2018/2020 (deaths per 100,000 adolescents ages 15-19 years). The WHO ranks South Africa as number 10 on the list of countries with the most suicides in 2019 with 23,5 per 100 000 population (1). Of the 13 774 suicides reported in South Africa, 10 861 were men whilst 2 913 were women, translating to a rate of 37,6 per 100 000 for men and 9,8 per 100 000 for women. This statistic indicated that men in South Africa are five times more likely to die by suicide than woman. It’s interesting to note that the highest suicide rate in the world was Lesotho with 72.4 per 100k people and third on the list was Eswatini (Swaziland) with 29.4 per 100k people. These worldwide statistics unfortunately indicates that three of the top ten countries with the highest suicide rates are in Southern Africa. SUICIDE PREVENTION FROM A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES EDITORIAL Dr Frans A Korb Psychiatrist – Private Practice Johannesburg SOUTH AFRICA 10TH HIGHEST SUICIDES WORLDWIDE 2019 23,5/100 000 SUICIDES/POPULATION 13 774 SUICIDES REPORTED 37,6/100 000 SUICIDES/POPULATION 9,8/100 000 SUICIDES/POPULATION MEN 10 861 WOMEN 2 913 72.4/100 000 SUICIDES/POPULATION HIGHEST SUICIDES WORLDWIDE LESOTHO 1ST 29.4/100 000 SUICIDES/POPULATION ESWATINI HIGHEST SUICIDES WORLDWIDE 3RD 3 OF 10 COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE ARE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA HIGHEST SUICIDE Issue 1 | 2023 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 1 MHM