A decision by the Japanese authorities in the 1930s to refuse to sell a one way ticket to an island off Tokyo, where there was an active volcano, helped to reduce rates of suicide. This was one example of where a common sense approach contributed to lowering the number of self-inflicted deaths, according to consultant psychiatrist Dr Philip McGarry.
Changes and advances in our society have the potential to minimise and maximise suicide. With the worsening economic climate, Dr McGarry points to an escalation in depression and suicide on these islands.
In the wake of a number of high profile deaths flowing from depression, I have been revisiting this whole subject with Dr McGarry:
