CHILEAN NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM: ITS EXAMINATION WITH INTERNATIONAL EVIDENCE

Abstract

Suicide deaths are a public health problem that has been addressed internationally with national prevention programs. Those measures agreed as effective are presented: national prevention program, specific preventive strategies at universal, selective, and indicated levels. The Chilean National Suicide Prevention Program (PNPS) is analysed and compared with these, detecting that the measures proposed are consistent with the evidence, but the implementation of several of them is still deficient. Strengths: territorial coverage of mental health and PNPS; existence of PNSP and GES clinical guidelines; progress in training of key actors in health and education systems. Improvement proposals are detailed according to evidence and feasibility. The main elements to be improved include increasing the budget allocated to the PNPS and mental health; favour access to mental health treatment in early stages of risk for people in social vulnerability; crisis intervention, treatment, and follow-up of people in suicidal crisis; epidemiological surveillance of suicide attempts and completed suicides; and scientific evaluation of the program. The existence of NGOs dedicated to suicide prevention, and academic experts in the field, emerge as actors whose alliance to the PNPS would favour the achievement of this important objective.