Helium among means of suicide

The issues of using the inert gas helium in suicidal acts are discussed. The appearance of this method is shown to be a consequence of the wide access of helium for the population, combined with the active promotion of information in Internet resources as an "effective and peaceful means" for suicide. Being a technology proposed in countries where euthanasia is allowed, it is currently becoming more and more popular in many countries across the world, and the number of deaths from deliberate helium inhalation keeps growing every year. Most suicide attempters are men, mostly young. Risk factors include depression, social and financial disadvantage. The data presented in the review testify to the high relevance of this topic. However, many issues have not been fully studied and covered in the specialized literature, and require more in-depth research. A direct consequence is the difficulty in determining the range of effective prevention measures. The traditional measures proposed today to restrict access to gas are expected to be unilateral and not effective enough. With a certain degree of confidence, it can be assumed that in the absence of due attention to the topic the opportunity for the population to access gas will preserve and, most importantly, with potentiating information in the media the number of He consumers and victims will increase, and it will be able to take a more significant place in the overall structure of suicides. In Russia, at present, the “helium” means of suicide stays a relatively rare occurrence. Therefore, timely, large-scale, comprehensive and targeted implementation of differentiated preventive measures can be the key to limiting the spread of this method of suicide in the population being one of the measures to reduce suicidal mortality.