Perspectives and Implications of a Public Health Approach to Suicide Prevention

Abstract

Suicide is one of the most important public health issues worldwide, with causes that are multifaceted and complex. Suicide is more than an individual problem and is influenced by broader social and structural contexts. A public health approach has an important role in effective suicide prevention. For World Suicide Prevention Day 2024, The Lancet Public Health published a series titled ‘A Public Health Approach for Suicide Prevention’. This series presents suicide prevention from a public health perspective. In particular, the series highlights the role and importance of a public health approach and covers factors such as access to means of suicide, economic downturns and their effects, the spread of suicide risk through media, and other major societal-level risk factors. Lastly, the series presents public health actions for suicide prevention in its final section. This article summarizes the key messages from the six papers in the series and discusses their implications for suicide prevention policy in South Korea.