Citation

Nordentoft M. Psychiatr. Danub. 2006; 18(Suppl 1): 105.

Affiliation

Bispebjerg Hospital, Bispebjerg Bakke 23, 2400 Copenhagen, Denmark. mn@dadlnet.dk.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Facultas Universitatis Studiorum Zagrabiensis - Danube Symposion of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16964048

Abstract

Suicide rates have been high in Denmark compared with other western countries. Among Nordic countries Denmark is the last one to develop a national plan for suicide prevention. In 1998, on the Danish National Board of Health a group of experts from different fields related to suicidal behaviour developed a plan for a national plan for suicide prevention. Subjects addressed in the plan are education, treatment of suicide attempters and other high-risk groups, media-coverage of suicidal behaviour, access to means for suicide and suicide research. The plan included intervention in different areas and a plan for monitoring and evaluation of the interventions. The plan was accepted by the Ministry of Health, and funding for different parts of the plan has been given. In the first five years, an expert group supervised the grants to different projects, but now this task is taken care of by the Ministry of Social Affairs. Some of the most important goals from the action were not fulfilled: - Suicidal persons should be quickly and correctly assessed by the necessary professional expertise. - Establishing aid for suicidal persons according to a supportive and attendant principle so that the suicidal person is not left on his/her own before other relevant support is started. - Reduction of the availability of the most common suicide methods. An evaluation of the "model projects" initiated with grants from the first five year period of the action plan, revealed that less than half of these projects were transformed into permanent service.

Language: en