Suicide Risk and Self-Harm

Suicide is a global public health problem: In 2012, there were an estimated 800,000 deaths worldwide, and by 2020, this figure is expected to rise to 1.53 million. This represents an annual, global, age-standardized suicide rate of 11.4 per 100,000 population. The figures suggest that death by suicide causes a significant public health problem which is likely to be underrepresented due to differences in reporting systems, the sensitive nature of the topic, and the legality of suicide in some countries. Whatever the shortcomings of current underreporting, it is a fact that rates of self-harm and suicide are far higher among offender populations than the general population. That means that assessing who is at risk and determining how best to intervene are important topics. This entry ...