Zusammenfassung
Background: Since 2003, the Regensburg Alliance Against Depression, the regional partner of the German Alliance Against Depression, has been conducting a four-level intervention program to improve early detection and treatment of patients with depression, which was successfully piloted in the framework of the German Research Network on Depression and Suicidality. Methods: After 5 years of ...
Zusammenfassung
Background: Since 2003, the Regensburg Alliance Against Depression, the regional partner of the German Alliance Against Depression, has been conducting a four-level intervention program to improve early detection and treatment of patients with depression, which was successfully piloted in the framework of the German Research Network on Depression and Suicidality. Methods: After 5 years of campaign, the suicide rates before and after the intervention were evaluated in comparison with two control regions and with the German overall rate. Findings: The results show that only the suicide rate in Regensburg fell significantly during the intervention period. The drop in the suicide rate was due to a significant decrease in male suicides. Interpretation: An intensive community-based campaign could be effective in lowering suicide rates. Especially, the combination of continuing medical educations (CMEs) for general practitioners focusing on 'male depression' and low-threshold campaigns for the general public seems to reach male depressive patients. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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