Project plan for studies on suicide, attempted suicide, and suicide prevention

Completed and attempted suicide are major public health problems in most western countries. The importance of suicidal behavior as a health problem, particularly among adolescents and young adults, has been emphasized by the European Union, the WHO (Europe), as well as the Finnish authorities. Due to the exceptionally high suicide mortality, suicide prevention has been one of the main targets of Finnish health policy since the late 1980s. However, to develop feasible strategies for suicide prevention, better knowledge of the phenomenon of self-destruction is necessary. The Department of Mental Health of the National Public Health Institute has been actively involved in suicide research and the development of suicide strategies both in Finland and western Europe since 1986. The success is based on a long tradition of suicide research in Finland, the representative and reliable suicide data, a highly motivated research group, and also the necessary economic support by both the National Public Health Institute and the Finnish Academy. This article outlines our groups research plan for the next few years.