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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1508621

Pharmacist Gatekeeper Interventions for Suicide Prevention: How Evidence from Developed Countries Support their Complementary Role to Pesticide Bans in Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)

Provisionally accepted
Zixiao Zhou Zixiao Zhou 1Fahim Mohamed Fahim Mohamed 1,2*
  • 1 The University of Sydney, Darlington, Australia
  • 2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Central Province, Sri Lanka

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Approximately 80% of self-poisoning suicides occur in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).The implementation of pesticide bans has significantly reduced the rate of pesticide self-poisoning in these regions; however, this has been accompanied by a shift toward an increased incidence of pharmaceutical poisoning , highlighting the importance of intervention strategies to prevent pharmaceutical self-poisoning in the future. This report summarizes the existing evidence on community pharmacist gatekeeper interventions aimed at reducing pharmaceutical suicide to discuss their complementary role with pesticide bans in LMICs. Methods: The literature review identified studies published between April 2014 and April 2024 using multiple keywords related to "suicide," "intervention," "pharmacist" and "gatekeeper" in various library databases. Data were extracted into a table for analysis.Results: Only eight relevant studies were found during the search period, and none quantified the impact of pharmacy gate keeper interventions., Community pharmacists became more confident and willing to intervene after pharmacist gatekeeper training.They demonstrated positive attitudes and improved knowledge and skills in responding to suicidal intent. However, the evidence supporting community pharmacy gatekeeper interventions primarily comes from developed countries. Furthermore, the role of pharmacists in preventing suicide relies on frequent contact between suicidal individuals and pharmacies in developed countries. Conclusion:Pharmacy gatekeeper interventions can be implemented in LMICs as a complement to pesticide bans, provided they are modified and adapted to suit the specific context of these regions. Further research is essential to tailor and implement successful strategies from developed countries to address the unique challenges faced by LMICs.

    Keywords: suicide prevention, gatekeeper training, Community pharmacist, Self-poisoning, LMICs

    Received: 09 Oct 2024; Accepted: 26 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhou and Mohamed. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Fahim Mohamed, The University of Sydney, Darlington, Australia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.