‘Elke zelfdoding is er één teveel en wij moeten ons er sterk voor maken om dát tegen te gaan. Het is fantastisch dat deze agenda nu zo breed gedragen wordt.’ Met deze woorden gaf staatsecretaris Blokhuis in januari van dit jaar het startsein voor de derde Landelijke Agenda Suïcidepreventie.

De Wereldgezondheidsorganisatie (WHO) schat dat ieder jaar wereldwijd meer dan 700.000 mensen overlijden ten gevolge van suïcide. Het aantal suïcidepogingen ligt nog vele malen hoger: schattingen variëren van 10 tot 20 miljoen per jaar. De impact op nabestaanden en de maatschappij is enorm. Elk verlies is er één te veel. Het terugdringen van suïcides is complex en vergt een lange adem, maar suïcidepreventie is mogelijk. 

The role of loneliness in the bereavement experience has been reported as substantial, with the death of a close person leaving a considerable void in the life of the bereaved. Yet, there is lack of agreement about its precise role and, notably, whether loneliness should be included as a core symptom for diagnosis of grief complications.

Objective
to examine the hypothesis that PTSD with delayed expression in some cases occur without subthreshold PTSD symptoms above background levels bridging the gap between the traumatic exposure(s) and the clinical diagnosis.

Background

Interview van Mayaris Zepeda Méndez klinisch psycholoog en onderzoeker bij ARQ Centrum ’45

Een gewapende overval, een auto-ongeluk of seksueel misbruik als kind. Duurde een traumabehandeling vroeger maanden of jaren, nu beloven GGZ-instellingen dat patiënten in een paar dagen van hun nachtmerries af kunnen zijn.

Traumatic events such as disasters, accidents, war, or criminal violence are often accompanied by the loss of loved ones. Traumatic grief following the loss of loved ones due to violent circumstances may occur in people surviving cultural conflicts as well as profession related risks. Traumatic grief can be conceptualized as a combination of traumatic distress and separation distress following an unnatural, violent loss.

In a growing number of countries, legislation permits physicians—under strict conditions—to grant a request for physician-assisted dying (PAD). Legally allowing for the possibility of granting such a request is in accordance with central humanistic values such as respect for autonomy and self-determination. The Netherlands is one of few countries where severe suffering from a psychiatric illness qualifies as a ground for a request for PAD.

No matter how experienced we are as professionals, we need to recognise the emotional and physical toll of the work we do as mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) frontline workers.

Many Iraqis have experienced a multitude of stressors over the past four decades due to war, sanctions and civil conflict. Being closely associated with social cohesion and community stabilisation, suicide prevention activities have been an increasingly important component of the International Organization of Migration (IOM)’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Programme.