Suicide Prevention

Project Coordinator: Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Ugra: Novikov Andrei Petrovich, chief physician of “Surgut Clinical Psychoneurologic Hospital”

Project Members: Sakha Republic (Yakutia):


  • • Albina Sivtseva, coordinator for Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Director of Republican Center for Medical Prevention
  • • Rita Potapova, Chief Supernumerary Psychotherapist of Ministry of Healthcare of Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
  • • Serafima Vasilieva, Head, Outpatient Department, Yakut Republican Narcological Dispensary
  • • Maria Yakovleva, Physiatrist, Yakut Republican Narcological Dispensary.

Brief information:

Suicide has turned into one of the most urgent problems of modern society. According to the World Health Organization more than one million people in the world commit suicide every year, which gives reason to believe suicide is a major cause of death in many countries. An attempt to commit suicide happens in about 10 - 20 times more people. According to statistics, suicides took 4th place as main cause of death, after cardiovascular diseases, cancer and injuries.

Suicide, therefore, is one of the most pressing problems of the modern world - and in remote northern areas, damage from it increases tenfold. "Suicide prevention" project therefore focuses on the establishment of programs combating manifestations of suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior in people, taking into account the effect of sociological, climatic and ethnic factors.

In Russia in 2010 in the structure of mortality the third place is occupied by external causes of death, where the highest percentage of deaths comes from suicide.

Even more urgent is the problem of suicides in the northern regions, where in addition to climatic factors of considerable importance are ethnic and cultural factors.

Project Goal:

Reducing the number of suicide victims in the northern regions that are members of Northern Forum.

Project Objectives:

  • • Creation of a work group on suicide prevention in the North;
  • • Study of the problem of suicides in the regions-members of the Northern Forum;
  • • Development and implementation of programs for the prevention of suicide and suicidal behavior aimed at various sections and groups of the population, taking into account climatic, ethnic, cultural and other factors of the northern regions;
  • • Develop training programs for professionals involved in the prevention of suicide;
  • • Development of cooperation with governmental and non-governmental organizations in efforts to prevent suicide.

Accomplishments:

At present, since March 1, 2008, there has been a crisis service operating in Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Ugra, aimed at prevention of suicides and assistance in crisis situations. For these purposes, emergency psychological support offices and the helpline were established.

The specialists of the service provide free 24 hours-a-day emergency psychological advice and counseling services by calling 8-800-101-1212, 8-800-101-1200 from anywhere in Khanty-Mansiysk AO. In addition, volunteer training program development activities are being carried out in order to prevent suicidal activities among children and young people. Within the framework of the project, a working group on the problem is being established, as well as seminars are held. Participants also take part in international events dedicated to this issue - for example this year, the Yakutian representatives of the project took part in the international congress on the problem of suicide in Finland.

The project is financed directly by institutions involved in the project.

Results Achieved:

In 2017, on the platform of all the institutions of professional and higher education of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Ugra, the units of Cybersquad operate, which organize the work of volunteers to form alternative groups in social networks that promote the value of human life, a healthy lifestyle and the identification of antisocial and asocial actions in social networks and the Internet. Daily monitoring of social networks allowed to identify 6 dangerous content regarding the sale of drugs, users were blocked, information was sent to Roskomnadzor.

Work Plan for 2018:

Within the framework of this project, a method for the prevention of alcoholism and suicide will be developed on the basis of a scientific analysis of the issue in Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Ugra. It is planned to conduct an analysis of the prevalence of mental and narcological disorders in Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Ugra, the collection of official data from the psycho-narcological service of SR (Y) and KhMAO-Ugra, interaction with representatives of the Research Institute of Mental Health, cooperation between the Research Institute of Mental Health of the TNI, the Medical Institute of NEFU and the Surgut Clinical Psychoneurological Hospital and media coverage of the project’s progress. At the 2nd stage (11.01.2018 - 31.10.2018), it is planned to conduct statistical data processing for the preparation and publication of the Atlas of Mental Health of the Population, the media coverage of the project, the publication of an article in the journal Siberian Herald of Psychiatry and Narcology.

Project Coverage: Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Ugra.

Date of completion of the project: 29.10.2018.

Justification of the social significance of the project: President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in his report at the IV International Forum "Arctic-the Territory of Dialogue" stressed that "the Arctic becomes the place of the closest attention of countries and peoples. Russia, which covers almost a third of the whole Arctic, is aware of the special responsibility for this huge territory. Our goal is to ensure sustainable development of the Arctic, and this is the creation of modern infrastructure, development of resources, development of industrial base, improving the quality of life of the indigenous peoples of the North, preserving their original culture and traditions, and the Governmental support. " During the forum, the topic of comfortable living in the Arctic was widely discussed. "The Arctic needs healthy and strong centenarians," - said Minister of Health V.Skvortsova, presenting the sad statistics: on the life expectancy in the Arctic and the Circumpolar North as 6-7 years shorter than the average for Russia. Mortality is 9 times higher. " As she noted this is mostly due to the lack of ultraviolet, immunity isuues, delayed regenerative functions and other features that are described in the scientific literature as a syndrome of "polar stress" (Kaznacheev V.P.), which leads to depression and alcoholism in the north. In Yakutia, there is an increase of health disorders requiring psychotherapeutic care. In 2015, in the republic, the proportion of primary patients with nonpsychotic disorders increased by 21.8% (in 2014 - 52%, 2015 - 66.5%). There is a high level of suicides in Yakutia. The main indicator characterizing intense alcoholism issues is the primary incidence of alcoholism. At the end of 2015, the Bulunsky, Verkhoyansky and Even-Bytantaisky districts are leading, or 238.5, 200.9 and 179.3 per 100,000 respectively.

In 2015, there was increase in primary morbidity by alcoholism in 3.5 times in Bulunsky District compared to 2005 results, in Even-Bytantaisky – 2.5 times. The incidence of alcoholism among the female population of the Bulunsky District has a tendency of steady growth, and in 2015, compared to 2005, this indicator grew 5.6 times. For 6 years, the population of the Bulunsky District has decreased by 7%.

The following trends can be traced in KhMAO-Ugra: the rate of primary patients with nonpsychotic disorders increased by 10.4% (2015 - 184.7 per 100 thousand people, 2016 - 203.9 per 100 thousand people). At the end of 2016, there was a 2.9% decrease in the primary incidence rate of alcoholism, which was per 100 thousand people: in 2015 - 77.7 and 2016 - 75.5, but it is necessary to note the insignificant increase in the number of patients with alcoholic psychoses with the first diagnosis in their life, the primary incidence rate of alcoholic psychoses in 2016 increased by 2.9% and amounted to 16.7 per 100 thousand (2015 - 16.3).

Conducting a scientific analysis of the issue of the prevalence of addictive disorders and suicides in the territories of the above-mentioned regions will allow to develop appropriate preventive measures for each region, taking into account the prevalence of various disorders. The adopted preventive measures will increase the duration and quality of life, and thereby increase the human capital of the Arctic territories of the Russian Federation.

Target groups of the project: the population of the SR(Y) and KhMAO-Ugra.

Goals of the project: Goal No. 1: Mental health protection of the population of Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Ugra through the introduction of preventive methods.

Objectives of the project:

Objective No. 1: Assessment of the prevalence of mental and narcological disorders in Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Ugra;

Objective No. 2: Publication of the Atlas of Mental Health of the Population.

Project partners: "Surgut Clinical Psychoneurological Hospital"; "Research Institute of Mental Health" of the Tomsk National Research Medical Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Medical Institute of the North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU).

How will the information support of the project be organized? The project will be covered by posting information on the official websites: the Northern Forum, Surgut Clinical Psychoneurological Hospital, the Health Department of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Ugra, the Ministry of Health of the SR (Y) https : //minzdrav.sakha.gov.ru, NEFU https://www.s-vfu.ru, NBC "Sakha" nvk-online.ru, Research Institute of Information Technologies of the National Center of Information Technologies www. mental-health.ru, and also through regional mass media, published in regional and Russian print media. An article will be prepared and published in the journal Siberian Herald of Psychiatry and Narcology.

Quality results: As a result of the project implementation, work will be organized on the timely detection and prevention of addictive, psychosomatic, depressive and anxious conditions. Providing preventive assistance to residents of the Arctic regions will reduce the level of mortality, increase the duration and quality of life of the High North population.

Further development of the project: This project will be pilot for the Arctic and northern territories of Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, the positive experience of the Arctic regions in the prevention of the spread of psychosomatic and addictive disorders will be informed to other Arctic regions of the Russian Federation.

Project Heads:

Andrei P. Novikov, chief physician of Surgut Clinical Psychoneurological Hospital.

Nyurguyana P. Matveyeva, Candidate of Medical Science, Genomic Medicine educational research laboratory scientist of the Medical Institute of NEFU, a psychiatrist-narcologist.