Applications of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Cognitive Research in Diabetes: a Scoping Review.

Suicide is a major public health challenge (). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 700,000 people die by suicide each year and suicide is the third leading cause of death in young adults aged between 15 and 29 years (). Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) bear the largest burden of suicide, accounting for nearly 80% of all suicide deaths (). South Africa is among the countries with the highest suicide rates worldwide, with an estimated rate of 22.3 per 100,000, corresponding to about 14,000 deaths annually (, ). The rate is more than three times higher in males (35.4 per 100, 000) than in females (9.9 per 100,000) (). Suicide can be conceptualized as progression from thinking about ending one’s life (suicidal ideation), to formulating a specific plan (suicide planning), to acting on this plan with either a non-fatal outcome (suicide attempt) or a fatal outcome (suicide) (Nock et al., 2008; ). Suicidal trajectories can be non-linear (). Individuals may oscillate between ideation and planning (). Suicide may also occur in isolation as an impulsive act without preceding stages (). Nonetheless, progression from ideation to planning, and particularly a history of suicide attempts, is associated with an increased risk of future suicidal behavior (; ; Nock et al., 2008; ; ). Suicidal ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempts, hereafter referred to as suicidal thoughts and behaviours (STBs), are common in South Africa. The most recent nationally representative survey (2002–2004) estimated a lifetime prevalence of 9.1% for suicide ideation, 3.8% for suicide planning, and 2.9% for suicide attempts (). Suicide attempts were about twice as frequent in females (3.8%) than in males (1.8%) (). Higher prevalence estimates have been identified in adolescents and among university students (; ).