Suicide : who are the people exposed

fahrner/epictura

Published the 10.09.2017 to 11.07

A A

Keywords :

suicidedépressionjournée mondialeprévention

The numbers are cold in the back. Every 4 minutes, a French attempts to end his life, and every 40 minutes a death by suicide is reported. Each year in France, 200 000 people make a suicide attempt, and 11,000 die from the disease. It is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 15-44 years in our country. To prevent these tragedies is a public health priority, says the world Health Organization (WHO) on the occasion of the world day of suicide prevention takes place this Sunday, September 10.

Prevention is necessary for the identification of individuals at high risk for suicide. It is now well established that the vast majority of people that attack their life suffer from mental health disorders. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression are the psychiatric disorders most associated with suicide risk. Studies have also revealed genes of predisposition to conduct suicidal.

Vulnerability suicidal

However, the presence of psychiatric disorders or susceptibility genes explain only part of the passage to the act. In fact, all the depressive patients and schizophrenic patients are not going to attempt suicide. This vulnerability suicidal would be expressed in some patients when they are exposed to a major stress (loss of a loved one, family breakdown, work problems, etc.). The feeling of isolation and rejection would also be precipitating factors.
“The suicide rates are also elevated in the vulnerable groups facing discrimination, such as refugees and migrants, indigenous populations, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) people, and the prisoners,” adds the, WHO.

Similarly, the physical pain and somatic disorders seem to favour the passage to the act. A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in June 2017 has shown that sleep disorders and HIV doubles the risk of passage to the act, while the head injuries multiply it by nine.