Suicide prevention: A view from the bridge.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Public Health
• Crisis Intervention

Background:

• Over 74 suicide prevention services established since 1958.
• Evolution of suicide prevention models over the past decade.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze developments in suicide prevention activities over the past decade.
• To predict future trends in suicide prevention services and strategies.

Main Methods:

• Review of established suicide prevention service models.
• Identification of common principles across different services.
• Analysis of historical development and future predictions.

Main Results:

• Common elements include crisis therapy, patient transfer, telephone counseling, community integration, and use of nonprofessional volunteers.
• Differential development predicted for independent centers versus integrated services.

Conclusions:

• Future suicide prevention will emphasize primary prevention of crises.
• Continued refinement of secondary intervention procedures is expected.
• The integration of services into community networks is a key trend.