Publications, data and tools

Globally, over 800,000 people die by suicide every year. For every one completed suicide, 20 more attempts have been made. As previous attempts are one of the strongest predictors of future suicide, help-seeking in moments of crisis, particularly after an attempt, may have important implications for suicide prevention. Unfortunately, the criminalization of suicide in several countries hinders help-seeking, increases the stigmatization of those who attempt suicide and obstructs the accurate tracking of suicides.

We developed and administered Luo Depression Questionnaire (LDQ-17) in a cross-sectional community survey (N = 116) and investigated its association with a standard Western instrument (Patient Health Questionnaire-9; PHQ-9).

WHO World Mental Health report describes avenues through which we can turbo charge a transformation to improve mental health for all. The recommendations are comprehensive but may benefit from more targeted guiding principles: mental health services must be affordable, personalised to an individual’s needs and circumstances, and integrated within existing systems of caregiving and community life.

In this randomized clinical trial of 413 high school students, Shamiri, a 4-week layperson-delivered group intervention that teaches growth mindset, gratitude, and value affirmation, appears to significantly reduce depression and anxiety symptoms in symptomatic adolescents compared with a control group, although both groups showed symptom reductions. Effects persisted at 7 months.