A new study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas suggests that enforcing policies to limit access to dangerous substances such as firearms and pesticides could significantly reduce suicide rates. The research, conducted in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Canada’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), indicates that countries where these methods account for 40% or more of suicides could see substantial reductions in suicide mortality—over 20% among males and 11% among females—by 2030 if appropriate restrictions are implemented.
According to PAHO, nearly 100,000 suicides occur annually across the Americas. Unlike other regions monitored by the World Health Organization (WHO), the suicide rate in the Americas has been on the rise in recent years.
Anselm Hennis, Director of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at PAHO and a co-author of the study, stressed the preventability of suicide, stating, “The study demonstrates that policies limiting access to these common methods of suicide can significantly impact mortality rates in the region.”
The study analyzed data from 2020 to 2030 and predicts notable effects in various countries. For instance, imposing restrictions in El Salvador, Guyana, Nicaragua, and Suriname—where hazardous pesticides accounted for over 40% of suicides in 2019—could lead to a significant reduction in suicide rates by 2030. Similarly, in the United States, where firearms were involved in more than 40% of suicide deaths in the same year, targeted restrictions could result in a considerable decrease in rates over the next decade.
Overall, the study forecasts that effective policies could prevent over 123,000 suicide deaths across the Americas. The most significant reductions are expected in the non-Latin Caribbean, with potential decreases of up to 31% among males and 34% among females if restrictions on hazardous pesticides are enforced in Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Dr. Renato Oliveira e Souza, PAHO’s Chief of the Mental Health and Substance Use Unit and co-author of the study, emphasized the importance of tailoring interventions to the local context. “The most effective measures are those that address prevalent methods accounting for a large proportion of suicides. However, adapting these policies to fit the sociocultural context is also essential,” he noted.
The researchers are advocating for “multisectoral collaboration” to implement these evidence-based interventions and support the WHO’s goal of reducing the suicide mortality rate by one-third by 2030.
