Suicide Prevention in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries

Vijayakumar, Lakshmi; Phillips, Michael R.

doi:10.1002/9781118903223.ch29

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…High, sometimes unrealistic expectations from parents as articulated by stakeholders serve to compound the stress faced by the students. This is in keeping with increasing number of suicides that a non-governmental organization, SNEHA, in Chennai successfully lobbied with the state education department to have a supplementary exam, which failed students can take before the next academic year began (Vijayakumar & Phillips, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

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Community stakeholders' perspectives on youth mental health in India: Problems, challenges and recommendations

Dhandapani

Chandrasekaran

Singh

et al. 2020

Early Intervention Psych

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Background: India has a large youth population whose mental health needs must be addressed. This includes promotion of positive mental health, with early detection and effective intervention for mental health disorders. Understanding the perspectives of community stakeholders working with youth is pivotal to this effort. Current study aimed to bring together a group of community stakeholders (eg, parents, teachers, policy makers) to understand their perspectives on youth mental health problems, challenges in provision of care, and to provide recommendations to address these concerns at national level. Materials and methods:The study was conducted across two sites in India: Chennai and New Delhi. Three group meetings were conducted involving 52 participants, including governmental, non-governmental and community representatives working with youth. The proceedings were manually recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis method.Results: Many youth mental health problems were similar across the two sites. The commonest drivers of mental health problems were reported to be academic pressure, substance use and problematic internet/social media use. Stigma and lack of awareness were identified as the most important challenges acting as barriers to seeking mental health help by youth. Prioritizing youth mental health as a national programmes along with strong political will were the major recommendations suggested by the stakeholders. Conclusion:Initial findings suggest that prioritizing youth mental health programmes in India would be advantageous. Inclusive and collaborative approach, involving community stakeholders working with youth in providing services that promote mental health and early access to care will help in developing healthy young citizens.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…They were concerned that Chennai city had a large number of youth suicides, many related to exams (Vijayakumar & Phillips, 2016). Poor performance in exams led to deep disappointment, a sense of failure and fear of not having met parental expectations.…”

Section: Common Mental Health Problems In Youthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community stakeholders' perspectives on youth mental health in India: Problems, challenges and recommendations

Dhandapani

Chandrasekaran

Singh

et al. 2020

Early Intervention Psych

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“…Data on suicide mortality in the Western Pacific is poor and inconsistent (Vijayakumar & Phillips, 2016). However, from the available literature, it is observed that China accounted for a large proportion of the suicide mortality in the region.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In cases where a daughter was the offspring, women being mistreated have also been associated with female suicides in the country (Vijayakumar, 2015). While suicide rates in Europe have been on the decline, dropping by 30% from 2000 to 2012 (Vijayakumar & Phillips, 2016), the prevalence in certain pockets is still a concern. In Turkey, a higher exposure to domestic violence was found to increase women's suicide risk (Kavak et al, 2018).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A descriptive mapping review of suicide in vulnerable populations in low and middle countries

Vijayakumar

Ray

Fernandes

et al. 2021

Asia-Pacific Psychiatry

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Introduction In 2016, low‐and‐middle income countries (LMICs) accounted for 79% of the global suicide deaths. In LMICs, vulnerable groups—women, sexual minorities and refugees, and internally displaced persons (IDPs)—are at high risk of suicidal ideation, attempts and deaths by suicide, but information for designing targeted interventions for them is fragmented and missing, making it difficult to address gaps in the existing system. This review highlights these gaps by mapping: (a) risk factors associated with suicides and suicidal behavior including challenges in implementing targeted programmes for vulnerable groups; and (b) recommendations for effective suicide prevention interventions and strategies in LMICs as documented in the literature. Methods A descriptive mapping review of literature was conducted. Three electronic databases—PubMed, Google Scholar, and Refworld—were searched for specific keywords. The researchers mapped and reviewed 34 studies on suicide and suicide prevention across three main vulnerable groups. Results This review highlighted the need for gender‐specific interventions for women and sexual minorities, addressing gender‐based discrimination, access to healthcare, abuse and violence, while for refugees and IDPs, critical concerns are monitoring and understanding suicidal behaviors and to address psychological and emotional responses to resettlement. Conclusion In LMICs, specific and unique socio‐cultural and environmental factors may increase the risk of vulnerable groups to suicidal behaviors. In order to develop effective and comprehensive suicide prevention strategies, it is crucial to evaluate these differential risk factors and develop culturally appropriate and sensitive interventions and strategies.

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“…A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis showed that compared to high-income countries, psychiatric morbidity appeared to be lower among those who engaged in self-harm in LMIC [ 4 ]. This suggests that a broader approach to suicide prevention is needed that addresses other social risk factors, including poverty and interpersonal conflict [ 4 , 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intimate partner violence, suicide and self-harm in Sri Lanka: Analysis of national data

Bandara,

Page,

Rajapakse

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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There is increasing evidence from South Asia and internationally that intimate partner violence (IPV) is strongly associated with self-harm, however its association with suicide and self-harm has not been extensively examined, nor has this relationship been explored at a national level. Using national datasets, area-level variation in IPV, suicide and self-harm in Sri Lanka were examined. In addition, the association between individual level exposure to past-year IPV and non-fatal self-harm by any household member were explored in a series of multi-level logistic regression models, adjusting for age. Similar patterns in the distribution of suicide and IPV were found, with higher rates evident in post-conflict districts, specifically Batticaloa, Kilinochchi, and Mullaitivu. Experience of past year IPV and its various forms were strongly associated with household-level self-harm in the past year (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.83 95% CI 2.27–6.46). A similar magnitude was found for physical/sexual abuse (AOR 5.17 95% CI 2.95–9.05) and psychological abuse (AOR 4.64 95% CI 2.50–7.00). A dose-response association was also evident for frequency of abuse, with an increasing risk of household-level self-harm for women reporting abuse ‘less often’ (AOR 2.95 95% CI 1.46–5.92), and abuse experienced ‘daily, weekly, or monthly’ (AOR 4.83 95% CI 2.59–9.00), compared to no abuse. This study contributes to a growing body of evidence on the relationship between IPV and suicidal behaviour in South Asia. Addressing IPV and its various forms should be a priority for suicide prevention in Sri Lanka, alongside trauma-informed approaches in post-conflict settings.

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Suicide Prevention in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries

Cited by 7 publications

References 38 publications

Community stakeholders' perspectives on youth mental health in India: Problems, challenges and recommendations

Community stakeholders' perspectives on youth mental health in India: Problems, challenges and recommendations

A descriptive mapping review of suicide in vulnerable populations in low and middle countries

Intimate partner violence, suicide and self-harm in Sri Lanka: Analysis of national data

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