[The role of clinical suicidology in the system of measures directed towards lowering early mortality and increasing population life span]

Abstract

The level of early mortality has increased substantially in Russia within the last fifteen years, having exceeded the same parameter in developed countries and in the entire post-Soviet area. The second frequent reason for early mortality is a group of factors that includes accidents, suicides, murders, and other external causes. The proportion of suicides in this group is 45 to 50%. As a result, in the recent years the suicide rate in Russia has filled the second place in the world. The authors of this article analyze the suicide rate in different Russian regions, distinguishing between regions with the highest and lowest rate, and characterizing population risk factors of suicidal danger, a special place among which is filled by socioeconomic condition of the regions and the ethnic composition of their population. Increase of the effectiveness of suicide prevention depends on creation of adequate scientific basis, which clinical suicidology can become. The authors substantiate the necessity to distinguish suicidology as a separate field of clinical medicine, and formulate its definition, goals and objectives. Basing on the obtained results, the authors come to a conclusion on the medico-social importance of the development of clinical suicidology in lowering early mortality and increasing the country's population life span.