Citation

Fountoulakis KN. Br. J. Psychiatry 2016; 209(4): 273-274.

Affiliation

Konstantinos N. Fountoulakis, MD, PhD, 3rd Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Email: kfount@med.auth.gr.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Royal College of Psychiatry)

DOI

10.1192/bjp.bp.115.171785

PMID

27698213

Abstract

The prevailing picture in both the scientific literature and mass media is that the increase in unemployment acts as a generic risk factor on the entire population and increases the rate of suicide, suggesting that the socioeconomic environment is the determining factor and measures to improve it are the most suitable in the struggle to reduce the number of suicides. As a result, 'horizontal' actions targeting the general population are proposed rather than 'vertical' actions that target specific vulnerable groups. This is not only a mistake but it also constitutes a kind of 'reverse' stigma which deprives mental health patients of their right to receive special and targeted benefits, interventions and care, and deprives mental healthcare of valuable resources.

© The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016.

Language: en