Current tasks in the field of suicidal prevention in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced close attention to mental health and suicidal behavior among the population. Serious systematic studies are needed to assess the extent to which the crisis caused by the pandemic affected suicides. Today, fears are largely fueled by negative expectations about the possible deterioration of the mental health of large populations, exacerbation of mental disorders and an unfavorable economic situation, the prospects for improvement of which are vague due to the global nature of the crisis. In a modern information society, all kinds of depressive and anxiety-phobic messages, as well as messages about ongoing suicides, are spreading at an unprecedented pace, which makes us even more worried. Under these conditions, the meaning of knowledgeable actions aimed at preventing mental health disorders and suicidal behavior is increasing. The crisis in this sense is a window of opportunity for attracting the attention of the professional community and society as a whole to these problems, which can give impetus to the development of suicidology as an interdisciplinary field of knowledge and as a field of practical activity. An analysis of the world experience of preventive strategies, the effectiveness of which is confirmed in accordance with the principles of evidence-based medicine, allows us to discuss the prospects for their adaptation and use in our cultural conditions during and after the pandemic.