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The decision whether admitted inmates should be placed in solitary cells or shared cells has to take place immediately after intake. This decision can have major impact on the occurrence of suicide in custody. The ‘Viennese Instrument for Suicidality in Correctional Institutions’ presented here is based on the results of a case‐control study examining suicide prevention in general and within the prison population in particular. The administration of this instrument helps the officers to decide about the accommodation without an immediate psychiatric or psychological assessment. The screening of newly admitted offenders to prison for suicidality is necessary to better estimate the suicide risk.

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has prompted concerns about an increased risk for psychological distress, broadly and suicide mortality, specifically; it is, as yet, unclear if these concerns will be realized, but they are plausible.

The authors demonstrate why researchers, clinicians, policymakers and other public health stakeholders should be vigilant to the potential increases in murder-suicide in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been reports of increased gun sales, alcohol sales, intimate partner violence and child neglect/abuse. These factors give one serious pause regarding the potential for murder-suicide, especially in the context of other pandemic-related stressors (e.g. loneliness, economic stress, health anxiety).

This paper highlights pandemic-related factors that might spur increased murder-suicide and encourages murder-suicide prevention efforts to take place alongside other pandemic-related public health interventions.

The elderly are facing many problems in the phase of life in the contemporary times. The problem of suicide among the elderly is one of them. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the cause of death due to suicide among the elderly in later life. There are two objectives of the present study. The first objective examines the nature and problem of elderly suicide in Indian society. The second objective explores the factors affecting suicidal tendency among the elderly.

The data have been collected through two newspapers from January 2013 to April 2013. The content of news items has been analysed through content analysis.

The study finds out that the factors such as family problems, chronic diseases, poverty, lack of social status and bankruptcy give rise to feeling of committing suicide among the elderly.

This is an original paper.

In this study of 420 self‐inflicted deaths in prisons a number of themes emerge. First, important definitional issues in the study of suicide. Second, the observation of the inverse relationship between risk of suicide and time spent at the individual prison institution. Third, that significant age group differences in suicide rates are not distinguishable in prison. Fourth, that factors associated with an increased or decreased risk of suicide are often dynamic at a societal, institutional and individual level.

This paper analyses the economic determinants of suicide. More specifically, we test the hypothesis that suicide is related to shocks or news concerning income growth. Testing is based on an error correction model of suicide in which the long‐run part takes into account various demographic and structural variables. Empirical analysis is based on Finnish time series data covering the period 1878‐1994. Some cross‐country data are also used. The empirical results strongly support the “natural rate” hypothesis.

Suicide in prisons has been the subject of much research effort (Topp, 1979; Dooley, 1990; Liebling, 1991; Bogue & Power, 1995; Towl & Crighton, 1998; Snow, 2002). For a pithy critique of UK research and practice see Crighton (2000) and Crighton (2003) respectively. Some of the research has clearly had a direct influence upon policy and practice in suicide prevention. However, despite this, the overall trend of rates of suicide in prisons is upwards.The comparatively high rate of suicide among prisoners and indeed offenders more generally may call into question the very humanity of our criminal justice structures and processes. The nature of imprisonment involves state containment; this carries with it a heavy weight of responsibility and accountability for the well‐being of the prisoner, a responsibility that may be amplified in the case of specific groups of prisoners, such as juveniles or young offenders.This paper reflects on research and practice in what is known about suicide in prisons. The language of suicide is also touched on, because of its relevance in working with the suicidal. Following on from this, the potential role of applied psychologists in preventing suicide will be outlined.

Suicide is one of the top three leading causes of death amongst those aged between 15 and 44 years; and tenth leading cause of death in the wider population. The base rates of suicide, suicide attempts and suicide-related behaviours are comparably low in the general population with between 17 and 68 per cent of individuals who successfully commit suicide having made a previous attempt to take their own life. As recently as the 1980's it was still a widely held belief that individuals with intellectual disability (ID) did not have the cognitive capacity to experience mental health problems and this acted as a “buffer” against suicidal behaviour. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The literature review covered the time period 1993-2013 and returned 117 studies, 77 of which related to individuals with ID, 37 of which related to adults. Following screening titles and abstracts 28 articles were removed. A total of nine studies were found to be eligible for inclusion in the review. A further two studies examining suicide in adolescents (up to adulthood) with ID were also considered. From the eligible studies the following information was considered: study design, sample size, strengths, limitations and the risk factors associated with an increased risk of suicide.

The suicide risk factors identified during the review were found to be in keeping with the general population and included a diagnosis of clinical depression, history of self-harm, unemployment, loneliness, unemployment, an increased need for support from others, early onset mental illness and being treatment resistive.

Suicide in individuals with ID is a topic that has not received a great deal of attention from professionals and clinicians alike. People with ID have higher rates of mental health problems and therefore it could be argued that they are more likely to be at risk. This study aims to look at risk factors specific to people with ID for clinicians to consider in their daily practice.

States that suicidal behaviour among youth has increased significantly over the past several decades and is now the third leading cause of death for 15‐24 year olds. Addresses public policy issues and the current state research aimed at reducing the incidence of suicide in this age group. Suggests that schools and their systems should do a great deal more to prevent youth suicide and that schools are the logical place to implement effective suicide prevention programmes.

Suicide and self‐harm are major public health issues. This study aimed to assess how local and national data could be used more effectively in local suicide and self‐harm prevention strategies. Twelve semistructured interviews were carried out with a purposive sample of suicide prevention leads in one strategic health authority area and other key local and regional informants. Although suicide prevention work is supported by data, problems were identified with current processes and data and information availability. Local, regional and national health agencies all have a role in ensuring information is used in the best possible way to reduce self‐harm and suicide.

The purpose of this paper is to explore recent research on reducing suicide, especially in men, who are often seen as excluding themselves from needing support, or they are excluded because people think they do not want it.

A search was carried out for recent papers on suicide prevention in men.

One study of 75 regions of Europe reported a link between higher value on giving social support and lower suicide rates, especially for men. Another study reported on the fall in a previously high suicide rate, especially in men, in Quebec province in Canada. A programme of suicide prevention may have contributed to this reduction. Finally, a small interview study reported on how certain kinds of encounters with professionals can inspire hope to carry on after a suicide attempt.

The two papers looking at regions (across Europe and one province of Canada) suggest how social forces may contribute to reducing suicide, especially in men. The Canadian study suggests the possibility that suicide might be reduced partly by enabling help-seeking in men to be seen as a positive aspect of masculine identity, rather than seeing masculinity as excluding men from support. The small qualitative study illustrates vividly how individual encounters after a suicide attempt might promote hopefulness and are relevant to both sexes.