Are national suicide prevention programs effective? A comparison of 4 verum and 4 control countries over 30 years

BACKGROUND: Suicide and non-fatal suicidal behavior are significant public health issues worldwide requiring effective preventive interventions. METHODS: The aim of the present study was to analyze the effectiveness of national suicide prevention programs taking a statistical approach involving the segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series data. RESULTS: This study demonstrates that National Suicide Prevention Programs are effective, but this effect seems to correlate with age and sex. Our data have shown a statistical significant decline in suicide rates in the verum countries in males, with the strongest effects in groups aged 25-to-44 years and 45-to-64 years. CONCLUSION: Our study implies that the implementation of a national strategy is an effective tool to reduce suicide rates.