For which strategies of suicide prevention is there evidence of effectiveness?

Suicide is a serious global public health problem; it is associated with an array of factors, including mental illness, social isolation, physical illness, substance abuse, family violence and access to means of suicide. The epidemiology of suicide rates varies across countries and regions; those in eastern Europe are among the highest in the world. Despite substantial efforts in many countries, including through dedicated national plans, it remains unclear as to which interventions are the most effective.

This report therefore aims to synthesize research findings from existing systematic reviews to address two questions:

• What types of preventive interventions have been evaluated in the published literature?
• Which strategies have good-quality evidence to support them?

Limited evidence – as well as variability by population characteristics, social, cultural and socioeconomic situation – suggests that a combination of preventive approaches, addressing different risk factors at different levels, is required. In addition, an evaluation framework should accompany the implementation of any new intervention.