A Public Health Approach in Responding to the Spread of Helium Suicide                     in Hong Kong

Yip, Paul S. F.; Cheng, Qijin; Chang, Shu‐Sen; Lee, Esther Sze Tsai; Lai, Carmen Chui Shan; Chen, Feng; Law, Yik-Wa Frances; Cheng, Tsang-Hsiang; Chiu, Sau Mee; Tse, Yincent; Cheung, Ka-Wai Raymond; Tse, ML; Morgan, Peter; Beh, SL

doi:10.1027/0227-5910/a000449

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…An additional option would be regulations which require the addition of oxygen to compressed gas tanks at a concentration that would render inhalation non-lethal. Such efforts, coupled with increased surveillance and public health attention to emerging methods of suicide are considered the optimal approach to preventing these deaths (Yip et al, 2017.…”

Section: Accepted Manuscript 12mentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide deaths by gas inhalation in Toronto: An observational study of emerging methods of suicide

Sinyor

Williams

Vincent

et al. 2019

Journal of Affective Disorders

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Section: Accepted Manuscript 12mentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide deaths by gas inhalation in Toronto: An observational study of emerging methods of suicide

Sinyor

Williams

Vincent

et al. 2019

Journal of Affective Disorders

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“…As previously mentioned, the public health model recommended by the WHO (2014) has been adopted in Hong Kong to comprehensively address the problem of suicide (Yip, 2005;Yip et al, 2017). As shown in Figure 2, the WHO approach includes four steps: (i) surveillance; (ii) identify the risks and protective factors; (iii) develop and evaluate interventions; and (iv) implementation.…”

Section: Public Health Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With the support of these organizations which have kindly made the data available, the CSRP monitors the suicide trends and identifies their patterns and characteristics. The daily monitoring of suicide cases and media reports was of utmost importance in identifying the effects of the media on suicide (Yip et al, 2017).…”

Section: Public Health Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even when suicides are planned, difficulty in gaining access to the most lethal suicide means can also constitute a significant impediment. In Hong Kong, for example, erecting barriers to hinder railway suicides and limiting access to charcoal and helium gas tanks have been found to be effective ways in reducing suicides (Yip et al, 2017). Although there are not many railway suicide cases in Hong Kong, they are not uncommon.…”

Section: Restriction Of Access To Means Of Suicidementioning

confidence: 99%

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Evidence-Based Suicide Prevention: Collective Impact of Engagement with Community Stakeholders

Law

Yeung

et al. 2019

Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work

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Purpose: In response to the rising suicide trend in Hong Kong, the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention ("CSRP") was established in 2002, with the aim to capitalize on the collective impact of research-support practices to prevent suicides. Method: The CSRP has since become an international knowledge hub that applies a public health approach and innovative strategies to address suicide-related problems at multiple levels. Results: The CSRP actively engages in research, teaching, and knowledge exchange with community stakeholders. These effort are associated with Hong Kong's more than 30% reduction in suicide rates between 2003 and 2016. Discussion: The rationale for and examples of the CSRP's practices in face of the suicide prevention challenges lay ahead were also discussed. Conclusion: The outcomes of these practices, which hold great potential for suicide prevention worldwide, have contributed to important academic debates in the field of suicidology.

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“…The systematic inclusion of information on the source of specific gasses in surveillance will facilitate prevention efforts. Close involvement of the media to discourage detailed reporting of gassing suicide deaths may also be useful in preventing the spread and appeal of these painless suicide methods [ 33 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Has information on suicide methods provided via the Internet negatively impacted suicide rates?

2017

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Suicide rates in Germany consistently decreased from 1991 to 2006, but this trend was reversed in 2007. Underlying this reversal were large increases in suicides due to gassing in females and in being overrun in males. During a similar time period (2005–2013), Asian and some Western countries have also observed abrupt increases in suicides due to certain gasses, and the availability of “how-to” information on the Internet about these painless methods of suicide is thought to play a role in their increased use. This study used data from the Federal Statistics Office of Germany to examine current trends in overall suicide mortality in Germany (2007–2015) as well by age, gender, and suicide methods. Also assessed was whether suicides via newly emergent methods are associated with the frequency of corresponding Internet searches using data from Google Trends. Joinpoint regression analyses indicated significant increases in the overall suicide rate (Average Annual Percentage Change (AAPC) = 2.37%) for females, but not males. The largest annual increases were observed in gassing self-intoxication suicides (AAPC = 13.93%), the majority of which involved carbon monoxide. The increase in gassing suicides was larger in females (500%), compared to males (164%). The frequency of suicides by gassing was significantly associated with Internet searches for “carbon monoxide poisoning” for both male and female subgroups, independent of age group. This study provides the updated suicide surveillance data that are necessary for suicide prevention activities. Results are congruent with the recent abrupt rises in carbon monoxide suicides in other countries.

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A Public Health Approach in Responding to the Spread of Helium Suicide in Hong Kong

Abstract: The public health approach of engaging multiple partners in the early phase of a potential epidemic can be a good guide to meeting the challenges posed by any new suicide methods that emerge in the future.

Cited by 10 publications

References 25 publications

Suicide deaths by gas inhalation in Toronto: An observational study of emerging methods of suicide

Suicide deaths by gas inhalation in Toronto: An observational study of emerging methods of suicide

Evidence-Based Suicide Prevention: Collective Impact of Engagement with Community Stakeholders

Has information on suicide methods provided via the Internet negatively impacted suicide rates?

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