Suicide reduction and prevention: Strategies and interventions

This paper focuses on suicide reduction and prevention. It considers what the United Kingdom government and associated bodies such as Department of Health, the National Health Service and Prison Service could do and are considering doing to prevent suicide in Britain. UK suicide statistics for the period 1971 and 1997 are compared and the Highland Health Board suicide prevention strategy for the 1990s is considered. The articles in this symposium are introduced and the recent UK legal cases involving Ms B and Diane Pretty are included. Counsellors and psychotherapists have always been concerned, to varying degrees, about clients committing or attempting suicide [1]. It is a topic which can trigger much concern and interest with both neophyte and experienced therapists [2]. In the past decade there has been a growth in individual membership of counselling and psychotherapeutic professional bodies with more therapists becoming accredited and/or registered as qualified practitioners. Thus there has been additional pressure on therapists to adhere to professional codes of practice and ethics. To take the correct action and to be seen to take the correct action within client-therapist relationships is now paramount. It could be argued that this has always been the case. However, therapists not working within a professional framework may have had less incentive to act in a professional manner. A proactive approach may be recommended when seeing clients with suicidal ideation and/or intention (Palmer, 1995). In these cases, inaction can sometimes prove fatal so it is incumbent upon the therapist to support and help the client through the difficult period (Curwen, 1997).