Editorial: Suicide and self-harm: advancing from science to preventing deaths
Joan Rosenbaum Asarnow and Dennis Ougrin
Abstract
Globally, suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 15–29 years, and self-harm is one of the strongest known predictors of death by suicide. This editorial introduces the Special Issue on suicide and self-harm, emphasizing the research and policy implications of the included articles. By illustrating advances in our science, the Special Issue both celebrates our achievements and highlights the need to use our science to inform suicide prevention policy and practice, in order to reduce the tragedy of suicide and premature deaths.
We hope you enjoy the full editorial of this Issue, which is free on the Wiley Online Library.
Joan is a JCPP Subject Specialist Editor, Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and a clinical psychologist. Her current work focuses on interventions and service delivery strategies for improving health and mental health in youth, with an emphasis on suicide/suicide attempt prevention and depression. She has led efforts to disseminate evidence-based treatments for child and adolescent depression and suicide prevention, working across multiple service settings including emergency departments, primary care, mental health, and school settings.
Dennis is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. He graduated from a medical school in Ukraine in 1998 and came to England to undertake his post-graduate training. He completed his higher training in child and adolescent psychiatry at Guy’s and Maudsley. Dennis is currently a consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist leading Supported Discharge Service at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. He is also a clinical senior lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. His main professional interests include prevention of Borderline Personality Disorder and effective interventions for self-harm. He is the author of Therapeutic Assessment, a novel model of assessment for young people with self-harm.
