THE URGENT NEED FOR FURTHER STUDY OF SPECIFIC SUICIDE PREVENTION MEASURES IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

Background: The high suicide rates in the Republic of Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan) are a serious social problem. Objective: In order to prevent suicide, we as researchers need to present a view from an academic perspective that leads to effective suicide prevention measures. In Kazakhstan, this may help with suicide prevention measures to reduce suicide rates. Materials and Methods: In this study, the key words ‘suicide’ and ‘Kazakhstan’ were used to search PubMed for articles on suicide prevention measures in Kazakhstan. Articles published before December 16, 1991, when Kazakhstan declared its independence as a republic, were excluded from among the identified articles. The characteristics of studies on suicide prevention measures in Kazakhstan were examined. These characteristics suggest the need for detailed studies of specific suicide prevention measures in Kazakhstan. Results: When the key words ‘suicide’ and ‘Kazakhstan’ were used to search PubMed, 33 articles were identified, of which the search yielded 36 articles, but 3 were redundant, so 33 articles in total were examined. Two of the 33 articles were published before December 16, 1991, yielding a total of 31 articles for consideration for inclusion. Of these 31 articles, it was determined that 18 were studies on suicide prevention measures in Kazakhstan. Of the 18 studies, 8 were related to “completed suicide”, 6 to “suicidal ideation”, and 4 to “suicidal behavior”. The characteristics of the studies were demarcated by the year 2018: before 2018, most of the studies were concerned with completed suicide, while after 2018, most of the studies were concerned with suicidal ideation or suicidal behavior. Conclusions: Based on the characteristics identified in this study, future studies on effective suicide prevention measures in Kazakhstan need to accelerate the examination of completed suicide, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behavior, and effective suicide prevention measures need to be explored and implemented.