Background Suicide and risk factors have been poorly studied in the Muslim‐majority countries that hinder the formulation of prevention strategies and affect suicide prevention eventually. Objectives We aimed at identifying and analyzing the psychological autopsy studies assessing the risk factors for suicide conducted in Muslim‐majority countries. Methods We did a search to trace all the available psychological autopsy studies in the Muslim countries with the search term “psychological autopsy study in Muslim countries.” We also checked the available bibliographies to identify the psychological autopsy studies in the Muslim countries so that all the possible studies could be included. Results Out of the Muslim countries, only eight psychological autopsy studies were identified in five countries (Bangladesh [1], Indonesia [1], Iran [1], Pakistan [2], and Turkey [3]). Six studies adopted a case‐control study design, and all were carried out in urban settings. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders among case‐control studies varied from 52.8% in Turkey to 96% in Pakistan. Psychiatric illness, self‐harm, and stressful life events were the commonly replicated risk factors for suicide across studies. Conclusions Psychological autopsy studies have been conducted only in five Muslim countries revealing that the risk factor for suicide is certainly under‐researched in the incumbent countries. This review identified a similar list of risk factors for suicide, namely, psychiatric disorder, past non‐fatal attempts, and adverse life events compared to the Western countries even though the rate varies.

Background: Suicide is a global preventable public health problem. About a quarter of all suicides in the world occur in South Asia. As means restriction is an important suicide prevention strategy, gaining knowledge of the common suicide methods and their changing trends in each country and region is crucial. Aims: We aimed to assess the suicide methods in South Asian countries over the last two decades. Methods: A search was performed in PubMed, PubMed Central, Scopus, and Google Scholar with the search terms. Original articles of quantitative studies, published in the English language, from 2001 to 2020, with full-accessible text, that rank different methods of suicide in eight South Asian countries, were included. Results: A total of 68 studies were found eligible for review. The Maximum number of studies were found from India ( n = 38), followed by Bangladesh ( n = 12), Pakistan ( n = 9), Sri Lanka ( n = 6), and Nepal ( n = 3). Hanging ( n = 40, 55.8%) and poisoning ( n = 24, 35.3%) were the two most common suicide methods reported, in that order. Hanging followed by poisoning were the commonest suicide methods in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan while in Sri Lanka, poisoning was the preferred method to hanging. There is a decline in suicide by poisoning and an increase in suicide by hanging in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India. Although hanging is still the commonest method in Pakistan, the use of firearms is growing in recent years (2011–2020). Conclusions: There is a steady decline in the incidence of suicides by poisoning following pesticide regulations in South Asian countries. However, there is heterogeneity of study methods, probable under-reporting of suicide, and lack of robust suicide data.

Objective: Medical students are more vulnerable to greater psychological distress and lower quality of life in comparison to non-medical students. However, the resilience among such students can enable them to deal with psychological distress and thus has positive effect on quality of life.  This study aimed to identify the associations between psychological distress, resilience and quality of life among medical and non-medical students Methods: A sample of (N=300) Male medical students (n=75) and Female medical students (n=75) Male non-medical students (n=75) and Female non-medical students (n=75) taken from different medical and non-medical colleges or Universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Results: Findings revealed that psychological resilience was a positive predictor of quality of life (b =.30***) whereas psychological distress served as a negative predictor of quality of life (b=-.54***). Medical students were significantly higher on psychological distress (M= 26.81, SD= 7.44, p=.001), whereas non-medical students were found higher on quality of life (M= 91.71, SD = 10.51, p=.001) and resilience (M= 20.52, SD = 3.35, p=.001). Interestingly female students were found higher on Quality of Life (M=89.38, SD=16.28) and male students were found higher on Psychological Distress (M=25.36, SD=6.02, p=.002). Furthermore, male medical and female students were higher on psychological distress and lower on resilience and quality of life. Conclusion: This study calls for implications to develop intervention strategies to deal psychological distress and one such strategy is to promote resilience to improve quality of life among students in general and among medical students in particular. Continuous...

Background: Suicide is a public health problem that gets little attention in Bangladesh especially in prevention aspects. Recent studies revealed that a significant portion of risk factors is closely related to family events. However, potential prevention strategies considering the family structure and involving family dynamics of Bangladesh have not been discussed. Objectives:We aim to highlight areas of family vulnerability and resilience when the threat of suicide is present, as well as the potential roles of family in suicide prevention in Bangladesh. Methods:We conducted a thorough narrative and focused literature search and synthesized evidence based on available articles discussing suicidality and family dynamics in Bangladesh.Results: Risk factors for suicide prevailing in the family have been organized, and several strategies for coping with family risk factors, including marital discord and family conflict have been proposed for testing empirically. Conclusions:The family has an important role to play in suicide prevention in Bangladesh. However, potential prevention strategies and their effectiveness have been untapped in the country. Studies are warranted to test the effectiveness of the proposed strategies.

Background Estimates of depression in suicidal behavior in South Asia would help to formulate suicide prevention strategies in the region that hasn't been assessed yet. Objectives We aimed to systematically assess the prevalence of depression in fatal and non-fatal attempts of suicide in eight South Asian countries. Methods We searched Medline, Embase, and PsychINFO by specific search terms to identify articles assessing depression in fatal and non-fatal attempts of suicide in South Asian countries published between 2001 and 2020. Two separate meta-analyses were conducted for fatal and non-fatal attempts. Due to the high heterogeneity of studies (96–98%), random-effects models were used to calculate pooled prevalence rates. Results A total of 38 studies was identified from five south Asian countries (India [27], Pakistan [6], Sri Lanka [3], Nepal [1], and Bangladesh [1]). The majority of studies (n = 27) were published after 2010. Twenty-two studies reported non-fatal attempts, and sixteen reported suicide. The prevalence of depression among non-fatal attempts ranged from 14% to 78% where the pooled prevalence rate was 32.7% [95% CI 26–39.3%]. The prevalence of depression among suicides ranged from 8% to 79% where the pooled prevalence estimate was 37.3% [95% CI 26.9–47.6%]. Conclusions This review revealed the pooled prevalence of depression among fatal and non-fatal suicidal attempts in South Asian countries, which seems to be lower when comparedto the Western countries. However, a cautious interpretation is warranted due to the heterogeneity of study methods, sample size, and measurement of depression.