Windhoek, 07 June 2017 - In an effort to promote the development, implementation and evaluation of comprehensive multi-sectoral national suicide prevention strategies, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) with support from WHO, hosted a two-day (10-11 May) regional training workshop on Suicide Prevention in Windhoek, Namibia. The workshop was aimed to strengthen the technical cooperation on suicide prevention strategies among countries. It also presented the opportunity to share effective evidence-based interventions relevant to the regional context and identify pathways to engage communities in suicide prevention.

The workshop was facilitated by Dr Alexandra Fleischmann from WHO headquarters, Prof Ella Arensman from the International Association of Suicide Prevention and Dr Sebastiana Nkomo from WHO African Region, and it was attended by 35 mental health experts from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and Namibia. The WHO defines suicide as the “act of deliberately killing oneself.” Risk factors for suicide include mental disorder (such as depression, personality disorder, alcohol dependence, or schizophrenia), and some physical illnesses, such as neurological disorders, cancer, and HIV infection. It is reported that over 800 000 people die due to suicide every year and it is the second leading cause of death in 15-29-year-olds, with 75% of all global suicides occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Thus, efforts are needed to increase awareness of the public health significance of suicide and suicide attempts, make suicide prevention a higher priority on the global public health agenda, as well as encourage and support countries to develop or strengthen comprehensive suicide prevention strategies in a multisectoral public health approach.

Findings from the Global Burden of Disease rank suicide (self-harm) among the top 10 leading causes of death for Namibian males. But Namibia has also made great strides in combating suicide, as it is the only country in the WHO African Region with a National Suicide Prevention Strategy. The country is currently finalizing a national research on suicide and the results will be used to inform the drafting of a second suicide prevention strategy. Suicides are preventable. One of the effective strategies for preventing suicides and suicide attempts is to restrict access to the most common means, including pesticides, firearms and certain medications. However, for national responses to be effective, a comprehensive multisectoral suicide prevention strategy is needed. Health-care services need to incorporate suicide prevention as a core component. Most importantly, early identification and effective management are key to ensuring that people receive the care they need. Communities also need to play a critical role in suicide prevention. They can do this by providing social support to vulnerable individuals and engaging in follow-up care, fighting stigma and supporting those bereaved by suicide.