“Siberian School of Preventive Suicidology and Deviantology”
Practical scientific conference with international participation.
February 14-15, 2020, Tyumen (Western Siberia, Russia)
Conference organizer: Tyumen State Medical University
Organizing committee:
- chairman – prof. P. B. Zotov (Tyumen, Russia)
- co-chairs – prof. M. Sarchiapone (Italy), prof. V.A. Rozanov (St. Petersburg, Russia) and prof. E.B. Lyubov (Moscow, Russia)
217 specialists took part in the conference: psychiatrists, drug-addiction experts, and other medical specialists. Furthermore, clinical, school and social psychologists and social educators joined this event.
In two days were presented 24 reports about the pressing topics of suicidal and deviant behaviors. Experts from Italy (Prof. M. Sarchiapone), Moscow (Prof. E. B. Lyubov, K. A. Chistopolskaya, A. S. Rakhimkulova), St. Petersburg (Prof. V. A. Rozanov), Ryazan (Prof. A.V. Merin), Yekaterinburg (Prof. K.Yu. Retyunsky), Tchaikovsky (M.M. Alimova) and from other Countries presented their reports.
Among the topics discussed during the first day of the conference (“Suicidology”) there were: the epidemiology of suicidal behavior in Russia (E.B. Lyubov, P.B. Zotov, M.S. Khokhlov) and in European Union Countries (M. Sarchiapone); the neurobiology and genetics of suicidal behavior (V.A. Rozanov); psychological aspects related to suicidal behaviors (K.A. Chistopolskaya); the effect of alcohol, drugs and other psychoactive substances on suicidal activity (A.V. Merinov, N.V. Mikhailovskaya, O.V. Yushkova, M.S. Umansky), post-homicide suicides (N.N. Spaderova). The conference participants expressed their interest in reports on the traumatic aspects of suicide (Prof. EG Skryabin), suicidal behavior among detainees (P.V. Kuznetsov), the correlation with certain somatic diseases (Prof. B.Yu. Prilensky), and suicide in teenage population (prof. T.V. Raeva, A.G. Bukhna).
The section “Deviant behavior” discussed about the negative impact of social networks on adolescents; the possibility of using Internet in suicide prevention (A.S. Rakhimkulova); cyberbullying (E.B. Lyubov) and other forms of deviant behaviors (shopping – K.Yu. Retyunsky, food deviations – A.V. Prilenskaya).
Main results (Conclusions): Prevention of suicidal behavior and reduction of suicidal mortality is an urgent medical and social problem. Priority tasks are: the development of theoretical and pragmatic suicidology based on an interdisciplinary approach, the improvement of suicide detection, the development of effective preventive measures (primary and secondary), preventive interventions in risk groups and in microsocial environment. It could be useful to organize this kind of conferences on a regular basis (yearly).
Scientific event at the Saint-Petersburg State University
On February 12th at the Saint-Petersburg State University the EPA Section of Suicidology and Suicide prevention (EPA-SSSP) Chair, Prof. Marco Sarchiapone, gave a lecture on the topic: “Main outcomes of the EU SEYLE project and their practical applications”. The Saint-Petersburg University is ranked as one of the top 10 of Russian universities, accounting over 30000 students and hosting many lecturers from all around the world. This lecture became possible due to close contacts between Prof. Sarchiapone and Prof. Vsevolod Rozanov, the current Chair of Health Behavior (Department of Psychology) and a EPA-SSSP member. The lecture was dedicated to the results of the Saving and empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE) project and attracted many post-graduate students and mental health specialists from Saint-Petersburg; involving, in particular, the Bechterev Research Psychoneurological Institute, school psychologists, and the University Faculty. The intervention gained considerable interest in the audience who activelyparticipated with many questions, especially regarding possible future implementations of the SEYLE project. During the lecture and at the meeting with the Psychology Department Dean Dr. Alla Shaboltas, the EPA-SSSP activities were presented and perspectives of future collaboration were discussed . This event became a further possibility to promote the EPA-SSSP activities at the Saint-Petersburg University, in accordance with previous events organized by Prof. Vsevolod Rozanov, such as the seminar on the NEVERMIND project held by Prof. Danuta Wasserman and Dr. Vladimir Carli, and activities (public lectures) dedicated to World Suicide Prevention Day.