In view of the challenges of providing accurate numbers of deaths by suicide, WHO has launched a new resource Preventing suicide: a resource for strengthening suicide case registration. The guide aims to strengthen the death certification and coding processes for suicides. It is primarily intended for medical certifiers and mortality coders, but it may also be useful for other professionals involved in the process of investigating and certifying deaths, including police officers, forensic doctors, coroners, and statisticians.
Critical to the prevention of suicide is the availability of high-quality, comprehensive data, ideally collected through civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems. Such data help to highlight the scale of the issue and provide essential information – such as age, sex and methods of suicide – that inform the development of timely, evidence-based prevention strategies.
The resource provides practical support to overcome the complexity of the registration process, navigating challenges of stigma, fragmented surveillance systems, and socio-cultural factors, and includes:
- step-by-step instructions for medical certifiers to confidently complete the cause of death certificate;
- practical guidance for mortality coders to correctly assign specific suicide codes (according to ICD); and
- strategies for quality improvement in data collection.
Strengthening surveillance is a core pillar of WHO’s LIVE LIFE Initiative for suicide prevention – including an implementation guide to help countries take evidence-based action to prevent suicide.
More than 720 000 people tragically lose their lives to suicide each year. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among those aged 15–29 years, a profound and devastating reality that has long-lasting effects on families, friends, peers, colleagues, and entire communities.