Chairman's Letter

Dear Colleague,

Suicide and suicidal behaviors have become major public health issues. In addition to being a minute cause of mortality, they are also the most common indication for psychiatric hospitalization in adolescents. Similarly, they constitute a frequent reason for referring adolescents to emergency rooms and are a major portion of the regular work of mental health professionals working with young people.

Israel has always had a rich tradition of academic research in the area of suicide. In 1995 we held a very successful landmark meeting where many new directions of endeavor were delineated. Presently, this academic tradition has begun to take an exciting new practical turn. A confluence of activities combining the vigorous efforts of non-governmental and governmental agencies working together has led to the establishment of a national suicide prevention program that has obtained the blessing of the Minister of Health.

Thus it is timely that we have a new meeting to consolidate our knowledge before launching our new program. Together with foremost researchers from the US and Europe we hope to bring together the best of Israeli academia and practitioners and formulate the frontiers of knowledge so as to give us direction for the future.

Alan Apter
David Brent
Gil Zalsman
Chairmen