| PERSPECTIVE |
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| Year : 2017 | Volume
: 6
| Issue : 1 | Page : 45-49 |
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Suicide burden and prevention in Nepal: The need for a national strategy
Kedar Marahatta1, Reuben Samuel1, Pawan Sharma2, Lonim Dixit1, Bhola Ram Shrestha3
1 World Health Organization Country Office for Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal
2 Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal
3 Curative Service Division, Ministry of Health, Nepal
Correspondence Address:
Kedar Marahatta
World Health Organization Country Office for Nepal, Kathmandu
Nepal
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DOI: 10.4103/2224-3151.206164 PMID: 28597859 
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Suicide is a major cause of deaths worldwide and is a key public health concern in Nepal. Although routine national data are not collected in Nepal, the available evidence suggests that suicide rates are relatively high, notably for women. In addition, civil conflict and the 2015 earthquake have had significant contributory effects. A range of factors both facilitate suicide attempts and hinder those affected from seeking help, such as the ready availability of toxic pesticides and the widespread, although erroneous, belief that suicide is illegal. Various interventions have been undertaken at different levels in prevention and rehabilitation but a specific long-term national strategy for suicide prevention is lacking. Hence, to address this significant public health problem, a multisectoral platform of stakeholders needs to be established under government leadership, to design and implement innovative and country-contextualized policies and programmes. A bottom-up approach, with active and participatory community engagement from the start of the policy- and strategy-formulation stage, through to the design and implementation of interventions, could potentially build grass-roots public ownership, reduce stigma and ensure a scaleable and sustainable response.
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