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[Changes in the frequency of suicidal behaviour after a 2-year intervention campaign]
D Althaus1, G Niklewski, A Schmidtke
1Kompetenznetz Depression, Suizidalität, Nussbaumstrasse 7, 80336 München. dalthaus@med.uni-muenchen.de
Background:
Insufficient treatment of depression is one of the most important causes of suicide. The Nuremberg Alliance against Depression (funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research) tried to improve the quality of care for patients suffering from depression. This multilevel programme focussed on close cooperation with general practitioners, a public relation campaign about depression, involvement of other professional groups, and reinforcement of self-help activities.
Methods:
The project was realised in the city of Nuremberg, Germany in 2001-2002. Changes in the frequency of suicidal acts (successful and attempted suicides) compared to a baseline (2000) and a control region (Wuerzburg, Germany) were prospectively defined as the main outcome criterion.
Results:
The frequency of suicidal acts decreased significantly (-21.7%) compared to the control region. This reduction was mainly due to a lower rate of suicide attempts.
Conclusions:
Many other regions in Germany and Europe followed the Nuremberg model project and have initiated regional alliances against depression.
