German Society for Suicide Prevention
The German Society for Suicide Prevention - Help in Life Crises (DGS) is an association based in Berlin . The society sees itself as a professional association with a specific focus in the field of suicide and suicide prevention , under the umbrella of which institutions and individuals from various disciplines have come together who want to make the goals of the DGS their own task.
Since it was founded in 1972 , the DGS has set itself the task of no longer leaving people at risk of suicide to themselves and a prejudice of the environment that excludes them, and of making a lasting contribution to a better understanding of the phenomena of suicidal behavior and of realistic approaches for effective suicide prevention and Find crisis intervention .
The main tasks are: The promotion of research, training and practice in this field, the - also international - networking of experience and informative public relations work .
In order to achieve these goals, two symposia are organized annually, the magazine Suizidprophylaxe has been published since 1974 , the “guidelines for the organization of crisis intervention” have been developed, new facilities and working groups are motivated and other things are done.
It promotes a national suicide prevention program for Germany, which represents an activation for society as a whole in accordance with the goals of the DGS. It can be seen as the most extensive project in the field of suicide prevention in Germany since the DGS was founded.
The award of the Hans Rost Prize recognizes special achievements in the field of suicide prevention and crisis intervention.
She has issued guidelines for crisis intervention and suicide prevention. The guidelines relate to seven thematic areas. For each area there are checklists with “reflection questions” as well as the description of “minimum standards”, which represent the status of - now indispensable - quality standards. The empirical knowledge summarized in the guidelines can be used as the basis for all further considerations.
She arranges contacts to the counseling and support centers for those affected and their relatives.
At the international level, the DGS is networked with similarly working societies and institutions, primarily through membership of the International Association for Suicide Prevention and Crisis Intervention (IASP).