Anton Grech.

A policy on suicide prevention is in the final stages of drafting and will aim to clearly map out existing services and procedures in one document, psychiatrist Anton Grech said.

Dr Grech, the clinical chairman of Mental Health Services, said Malta already had the services and procedures in place to deal with suicide prevention.

What was lacking was one document that brought everything together. This unified document was being drafted and was in its final stages, he confirmed when contacted.

Figures released by the police last year showed that 22 people had committed suicide in Malta in 2013.

The study found that, while Malta had a low suicide rate,there had been an increase in people ending their lives since the 1980s

The need for a holistic suicide prevention policy was raised in a study published in the Malta Medical Journal. The study found that, while Malta had a low suicide rate, unlike other European countries, there had been an increase in people ending their lives since the 1980s.

In fact, the report showed, Malta was the only European country where the highest suicide rates were registered during the 2000s.

When asked about the prevention policy, a Health Ministry spokesman said: “Nearly all cases of suicide are within the context of mental illness, especially, although not only, depression.

“Studies show that one of the most effective measures to combat suicide includes educating general practitioners on the effects and management of depression.

“At present, the department of psychiatry is involved directly in the education of medical students and trainees specialising in family medicine, both in lecturing and in hands-on experience within our services, both at Mount Carmel Hospital and within the community.”

The spokesman also noted that the policy paper on suicide was in the final stages of drafting. Antoinette Shah, chief executive at Richmond Foundation, which offers support to people with mental health problems, said that when it came to suicide prevention, attention should be given to raising awareness and combating stigma.

Attention should be given to depression and the effects of stress on mental health, she said. Any programme should seek to make people more aware of recognising changes within themselves and each other and to seek help.

Government support agency Appoġġ offers emotional support and crisis intervention to callers through its Supportline 179.