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Foreword

This volume contains quotations from internationally peer-reviewed suicide research published during the semester November 2012 – April 2013; it is the ninth of a series produced biannually by our Institute with the aim of assisting the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing in being constantly updated on new evidences from the scientific community. Compared to previous volumes, an increased number of examined materials have to be referred. In fact, during the current semester, the number of articles scrutinised has been the highest yet, with a progression that testifies a remarkably growing interest from scholars for the field of suicide research (718 articles for the first, 757 for the second, 892 for the third, 1,121 for the fourth, 1,276 for the fifth, 1,472 for the sixth, 1,515 for the seventh, 1,743 for the eighth and 1, 751 in the present volume).

As usual, the initial section of the volume collects a number of publications that could have particular relevance for the Australian people in terms of potential applicability. These publications are accompanied by a short comment from us, and an explanation of the motives that justify why we have considered of interest the implementation of studies’ findings in the Australian context. An introductory part provides the rationale and the methodology followed in the identification of papers.

The central part of the volume represents a selection of research articles of particular significance; their abstracts are reported in extenso, underlining our invitation at reading those papers in full text: they represent a remarkable advancement of suicide research knowledge.

The last section reports all items retrievable from major electronic databases. We have catalogued them on the basis of their prevailing reference to fatal and non-fatal suicidal behaviours, with various sub-headings (e.g. epidemiology, risk factors, etc).  The deriving list guarantees a level of completeness superior to any individual system; it can constitute a useful tool for all those interested in a quick update of what most recently published on the topic.

Our intent was to make suicide research more approachable to non-specialists, and in the meantime provide an opportunity for a vademecum of quotations credible also at the professional level. A compilation such as the one that we provide here is not easily obtainable from usual sources and can save a considerable amount of time to readers. We believe that our effort in this direction may be an appropriate interpretation of one of the technical support roles to the Government that the new status of National Centre of Excellence in Suicide Prevention – which has deeply honoured our commitment – entails for us.

The significant growth of our centre, the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, and its influential function, both nationally and internationally, in the fight against suicide, could not happen without the constant support of Queensland Health and Griffith University. We hope that our passionate dedication to the cause of suicide prevention may compensate their continuing trust in our work.

 Diego De Leo, DSc

OTHER VOLUMES AVAILABLE IN THIS SERIES: