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Citation
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Saied ARA, Shah J, Dean YE, Tanas Y, Motawea KR, Hasan W, Aiash H. Lancet Psychiatry 2022; 9(9): e41. |
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Abstract
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Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country, has had an alarming increase in suicide mortality, which reached a rate in 2019 of 3 per 100 000 population,1 and 2584 suicides were officially reported in 2021.2 The Egyptian legislators’ decision to draft a law criminalising suicide is counterproductive: it could discourage people from seeking help in an emergency, and hinder people from receiving the mental health care they require.3 In Egypt, suicide is stigmatised and considered to be morally reprehensible, and thus thought to be substantially underreported. Egypt could adopt one of the ethical guidelines for reporting suicide that exist in other countries, enabling mainstream Egyptian newspapers to report suicide in a more systematic and standardised manner. Accurate suicide statistics are required and new policies and programmes are needed to reduce social victimisation and stressors, such as family disputes, work, study stress, and bullying at school.
Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts are symptoms, not a disease, and usually result from depression. The early detection, screening, and treatment of depression could reduce the number of affected individuals. Education on mental health should be part of the curriculum in schools. Parents should be taught how to assess their children's mental health and to identify the red flags of depression through educational programmes with schools. Schools should have sufficient resources for students to receive mental health assistance. Therefore, school staff should be educated and supported to give or facilitate prompt access to the appropriate care for students with mental health concerns.4 Student counselling units should be promoted to help university students cope with the stress of studying and exams. In our opinion, screening for depression in schools and universities through incorporating a depression detector application into education platforms could be a part of the solution as a safe and stigma-free method of raising awareness around mental health issues. The internet and social media are easily accessible platforms for conveying messages about reducing suicides, sharing information on depression, and raising mental health awareness.
The biopsychosocial model5 should be effectively integrated into the care protocols of primary and secondary care settings at outpatient clinics, to enhance prevention and treat the determinants of depression. Despite Egypt having a well developed primary care system, there is a decline in the number of health care units per 100 000 population. In the future, Egypt will require more primary care clinics and medical centres with skilled staff to meet the demands of a growing population. Providing the primary health-care system with modern electronic services would substantially assist in ensuring that patients receive high-quality counselling and psychological support at the same time as maintaining privacy and reducing costs. Staff working in primary health care, including nurses and family physicians, should be trained to detect depression and suicidal ideation in older patients and other high-risk groups. Staff in other medical specialties should be trained in suicide prevention.
Language: en |