On average, twenty-eight people take their lives each day in Germany — one every 56 minutes.* That's more than the number of homicides, traffic accident fatalities and deaths from HIV/AIDs and illicit drugs put together.

While Germany's suicide rate has halved since the beginning of the 1980s, it has remained largely constant over the last two decades. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has now presented the country's first national suicide prevention strategy, naming older men as an important focus group.

"We have to overcome the taboo about death and suicide, destigmatize mental health illness and better combine support services," he said during the plan's presentation on May 2.

He said the majority of suicides can be traced back to mental health issues.

"It's frequently an impulsive decision and it is not just the individual alone who is affected. Often children, in particular, suffer, the entire family."

Among the recommendations are a national center to coordinate advisory services and special training for health care workers. Construction measures to stop people accessing suicide hotspots and a unique national hotline number, specifically for suicide prevention, are also under consideration — adding to the crisis helpline, the Telefonseelsorge, which already exists in Germany, operating under three different numbers.

A central anonymized data register that includes information on attempted suicides is also being considered.

Most professionals working in the field welcome the introduction of a national strategy, but they are critical about the lack of........

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