Medical policy for suicide prevention

Lee, Sang Uk; Park, Jong Ik

doi:2019.62.2.102

J Korean Med Assoc > Volume 62(2); 2019 > Article

Focused Issue of This Month

Journal of the Korean Medical Association 2019;62(2):102-106.
Published online February 25, 2019.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2019.62.2.102

Medical policy for suicide prevention

Sang Uk Lee, Jong Ik Park

¹National Center for Mental Health, Seoul, Korea.
²Department of Psychiatry, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea. lugar@kangwon.ac.kr

Abstract

Suicide is a serious problem worldwide, especially in Korea, but the factors affecting suicide are complex and diverse. Therefore, a medical policy should be developed to help establish an effective national suicide prevention policy in Korea. To reduce suicide rates effectively, some of the current suicide prevention policies need to be improved. This study proposes the following steps to do so: 1) standardizing the suicide attempt management system, 2) strengthening effective counseling programs in the psychiatric field, and 3) strengthening early psychiatric interventions in patients with a physical illness. These improvements should be considered high-priority measures for ensuring successful suicide prevention at the national level.

Key Words: Medical policy, Suicide, Suicide prevention