The World Health Organization (WHO) has finally spoken out on suicide in its first-ever report on the major killer. “Preventing suicide: A global imperative” states that suicide claims 800 000 lives per year worldwide with three-quarters of those in developing countries, and ranks as the second-leading cause of death for young people age 15 to 29. The WHO has come under fire for lagging on mental illness, including leaving it off the list of non-communicable diseases that require the world’s attention (cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, diabetes and cancers made the cut), but the report aims to move suicide up on the global agenda.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0820-3946 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.109-4897 ID - ref1 ER -