Department of Psychology, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Centre for Suicide and Violence Research (CSVR), Accra, Ghana.
Crisis. 2020 Mar;41(Suppl 1):S53-S71. doi: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000668.
This paper addresses national responses to suicide prevention in the African region. Eighteen countries responded, of which none had a national suicide prevention strategy in place and only three countries, namely Algeria, Congo, and Madagascar, were in the process of developing any kind of strategy, at the time of this survey. Official national statistics on suicide were available in four of the 18 AFRO countries, with two countries publishing figures on suicide attempts nationally. Training programs on suicide assessment and interventions for general practitioners or mental health professionals were very limited, available in just four countries. One country had a national center specifically dedicated to suicide research or prevention and four countries have at least one NGO dedicated to suicide prevention. Postvention bereavement support for families affected by suicide was available in three AFRO countries. In more than half of the countries, suicide is not an option to certify cause of death. Statistics on suicide and suicide prevention are poorly monitored in all the 18 AFRO countries. The present state of suicide prevention in the region will require cross-country efforts that will generate a critical mass to move suicide advocacy in establishing national prevention strategies in the region.
本文探讨了非洲区域针对预防自杀所采取的国家应对措施。有 18 个国家作出了回应，其中没有一个国家制定了国家预防自杀战略，在这项调查之时，仅有 3 个国家（阿尔及利亚、刚果和马达加斯加）正在制定任何形式的战略。在非洲区域 18 个国家中，有 4 个国家提供了关于自杀的官方国家统计数据，其中 2 个国家公布了全国自杀未遂的数据。只有 4 个国家为全科医生或精神卫生专业人员提供了关于自杀评估和干预的培训方案。仅有 1 个国家设有专门的国家自杀研究或预防中心，有 4 个国家至少有一个非政府组织致力于预防自杀。有 3 个非洲区域国家为受自杀影响的家庭提供了自杀后悲伤辅导。在超过一半的国家中，自杀不是确定死亡原因的一种选择。在所有 18 个非洲区域国家中，对自杀和自杀预防的统计数据都没有得到很好的监测。该区域预防自杀的现状需要各国共同努力，以产生足够的影响力，推动该区域各国制定国家预防战略。
