Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
International Journal of Mental Health Systems
Published in: International Journal of Mental Health Systems 1/2016

Open Access 01-12-2016 | Research

Suicide first aid guidelines for Sri Lanka: a Delphi consensus study

Authors: Saranga A. De Silva, Erminia Colucci, Jayan Mendis, Claire M. Kelly, Anthony F. Jorm, Harry Minas

Published in: International Journal of Mental Health Systems | Issue 1/2016

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Sri Lanka has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Gatekeeper programs aimed at specific target groups could be a promising suicide prevention strategy in the country. The aim of this study was to develop guidelines that help members of the public to provide first aid to persons in Sri Lanka who are at risk of suicide.

Methods

The Delphi method was used to elicit consensus on potential helping statements to include in the guidelines. These statements describe information members of the public should have and actions they can take to help a person who is experiencing suicidal thoughts. An expert panel, comprised of mental health and suicide experts in Sri Lanka, rated each statement. The panellists were encouraged to suggest any additional action that was not included in the original questionnaire and, in particular, to include items that were culturally appropriate or gender specific. Responses to open-ended questions were used to generate new items. These items were included in the subsequent Delphi rounds. Three Delphi rounds were carried out. Statements were accepted for inclusion in the guidelines if they were endorsed (rated as essential or important) by at least 80 % of the panel. Statements endorsed by 70–79 % of the panel were re-rated in the following round. Statements with less than 70 % endorsement, or re-rated items that did not receive 80 % or higher endorsement were rejected.

Results

The output from the Delphi process was a set of endorsed statements. In the first round questionnaire 473 statements were presented to the panel and 58 new items were generated from responses to the open-ended questions. Of the total 531 statements presented, 304 were endorsed. These statements were used to develop the suicide first aid guidelines for Sri Lanka.

Conclusion

By engaging Sri Lankans who are experts in the field of mental health or suicide this research developed culturally appropriate guidelines for providing mental health first aid to a person at risk of suicide in Sri Lanka. The guidelines may serve as a basis for developing training for members of the public to provide mental health first aid to persons at risk of suicide as part of Sri Lanka’s suicide prevention strategy.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
World Health Organization. Public health action for the prevention of suicide: a framework. World Health Organization; 2012.
2.
3.
WHO: Suicide and suicide prevention in Asia. In: World Health Organization; 2008: 118.
4.
Vijayakumar L, Pirkis J, Whiteford H. Suicide in developing countries (3): prevention efforts. Crisis. 2005;26(3):120–4.CrossRefPubMed
5.
World Health Organization. Preventing suicide: a global imperative. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014.
6.
Mann J, Apter A, Bertolote J, et al. Suicide prevention strategies: a systematic review. JAMA. 2005;294(16):2064–74.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Gunnell D, Fernando R, Hewagama M, Priyangika WD, Konradsen F, Eddleston M. The impact of pesticide regulations on suicide in Sri Lanka. Int J Epidemiol. 2007;36(6):1235–42.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
8.
Konradsen F, Hoek W, Peiris P. Reaching for the bottle of pesticide–a cry for help. Self-inflicted poisonings in Sri Lanka. Soc Sci Med. 2006;62(7):1710–9.CrossRefPubMed
9.
SP-IPN Secretariat. Incorporating integrated pest management into national policies. In: Croydon, editor. Ibadan: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture; 2008.
10.
Mohamed F, Manuweera G, Gunnell D, Azher S, Eddleston M, Dawson A, Konradsen F. Pattern of pesticide storage before pesticide self-poisoning in rural Sri Lanka. BMC public health. 2009;9:405.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
11.
Weerasinghe M, Pieris R, Eddleston M, Hoek W, Dawson A, Konradsen F. Safe storage of pesticides in Sri Lanka—identifying important design features influencing community acceptance and use of safe storage devices. BMC public health. 2008;8:276.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
12.
Ratnayake R, Links P. Examining student perspectives on suicidal behaviour and its prevention in Sri Lanka. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2009;55(5):387–400.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Sareen J, Isaak C, Bolton SL, Enns MW, Elias B, Deane F, Munro G, Stein MB, Chateau D, Gould M, et al. Gatekeeper training for suicide prevention in First Nations community members: a randomized controlled trial. Depress Anxiety. 2013;30(10):1021–9.PubMed
14.
Clifford A, Doran C, Tsey K. A systematic review of suicide prevention interventions targeting indigenous peoples in Australia, United States, Canada and New Zealand. BMC public health. 2013;13(1):463.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
15.
Tompkins TL, Witt J, Abraibesh N. Does a gatekeeper suicide prevention program work in a school setting? evaluating training outcome and moderators of effectiveness. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2010;40(5):506–15.CrossRefPubMed
16.
Isaac M, Elias B, Katz LY, Belik S-L, Deane FP, Enns MW, Sareen J. Gatekeeper training as a preventative intervention for suicide: a systematic review. Can J Psychiatry. 2009;54(4):260–8.PubMed
17.
18.
19.
Mendenhall AN, Jackson SC, Hase S. Mental Health First Aid USA in a Rural Community: perceived Impact on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior. Soc Work Mental Health. 2013;11(6):563–77.CrossRef
20.
Svensson B, Hansson L. Effectiveness of mental health first aid training in sweden. a randomized controlled trial with a six-month and two-year follow-up. PLoS One. 2014;9(6):1–8.CrossRef
21.
Jorm AF, Kitchener BA. Noting a landmark achievement: mental health first aid training reaches 1% of Australian adults. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2011;45(10):808–13.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Minas H, Jorm AF. Where there is no evidence: use of expert consensus methods to fill the evidence gap in low-income countries and cultural minorities. Int J Ment Health Syst. 2010;4:33.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
23.
Marecek J. Culture, gender, and suicidal behavior in Sri Lanka. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1998;28(1):69–81.PubMed
24.
Linstone HA, Turoff M. The Delphi method: techniques and applications. Boston: Addison-Wesley; 2002.
25.
Okoli C, Pawlowski SD. The Delphi method as a research tool: an example, design considerations and applications. Inf Manag. 2004;42(1):15–29.CrossRef
26.
27.
Hasson F, Keeney S, McKenna H. Research guidelines for the Delphi survey technique. J Adv Nurs. 2000;32(4):1008–15.PubMed
28.
Jorm A. Using the Delphi expert consensus method in mental health research. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2015;49(10):887–97.CrossRefPubMed
29.
Kelly CM, Jorm AF, Kitchener BA, Langlands RL. Development of mental health first aid guidelines for deliberate non-suicidal self-injury: a Delphi study. BMC psychiatry. 2008;8:62.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
30.
Ross AM, Kelly CM, Jorm AF. Re-development of mental health first aid guidelines for suicidal ideation and behaviour: a Delphi study. BMC psychiatry. 2014;14:241.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
31.
Colucci E, Jorm AF, Kelly CM, Too LS, Minas H: Mental health first aid guidelines for helping a suicidal person from an immigrant and refugee background: A Delphi consensus study. 2014 (Under Submission).
32.
Colucci E, Kelly CM, Minas H, Jorm AF, Chatterjee S. Mental Health First Aid guidelines for helping a suicidal person: a Delphi consensus study in India. Int J Ment Health Syst. 2010;4:4.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
33.
Colucci E, Kelly CM, Minas H, Jorm AF, Nadera D. Mental health first aid guidelines for helping a suicidal person: a Delphi consensus study in the Philippines. Int J Ment Health Syst. 2010;4:32.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
34.
Colucci E, Kelly CM, Minas H, Jorm AF, Suzuki Y. Mental health first aid guidelines for helping a suicidal person: a Delphi consensus study in Japan. Int J Ment Health Syst. 2011;5:12.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
35.
36.
37.
Simpson ME, Conklin GH. Socioeconomic development, suicide and religion: a test of Durkheim’s theory of religion and suicide. Soc Forces. 1989;67(4):945–64.CrossRef
38.
Bertolote JM, Fleischmann A. A global perspective in the epidemiology of suicide. Suicidology. 2002;7(2):6–8.
39.
Marecek J. Young women’s suicide in Sri Lanka: cultural, ecological, and psychological factors. Asian J Couns. 2006;13(1):63–92.
40.
Skulmoski G, Hartman F, Krahn J. The Delphi method for graduate research. J Inf Technol Educ. 2007;6(1):1–21.
41.
Kakuma R, Minas H, van Ginneken N, Dal Poz MR, Desiraju K, Morris JE, Saxena S, Scheffler RM. Human resources for mental health care: current situation and strategies for action. Lancet. 2011;378(9803):1654–63.CrossRefPubMed
42.
Minas H. A mental health human resources strategy for Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka J Psychiatry. 2015;6(1):1–3.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Suicide first aid guidelines for Sri Lanka: a Delphi consensus study
Authors
Saranga A. De Silva
Erminia Colucci
Jayan Mendis
Claire M. Kelly
Anthony F. Jorm
Harry Minas
Publication date
01-12-2016
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
International Journal of Mental Health Systems / Issue 1/2016
Electronic ISSN: 1752-4458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-016-0085-3

Other articles of this Issue 1/2016

International Journal of Mental Health Systems 1/2016 Go to the issue

Research

Psychosis and help-seeking behavior in rural KwaZulu Natal: unearthing local insights

Research

Factors contributing to the psychological well-being for Hong Kong Chinese children from low-income families: a qualitative study

Commentary

Novel implementation research designs for scaling up global mental health care: overcoming translational challenges to address the world’s leading cause of disability

Research

A school mental health literacy curriculum resource training approach: effects on Tanzanian teachers’ mental health knowledge, stigma and help-seeking efficacy

Case study

A qualitative exploration of a family self-help mental health program in El Salvador

Research

Feasibility of an interactive voice response system for monitoring depressive symptoms in a lower-middle income Latin American country