Swiss railways address increasing suicide rate on its network

Though the number of people putting an end to their lives has decreased in Switzerland, the suicide rate of those jumping in front of trains has recently witnessed a tragic upward trend.

According to official figures, some 140 individuals committed suicide on the Swiss railway network in 2014 alone, with a further 90 attempting to end their lives this way.

These high rates reflect a worrying trend which has increased in recent years in both Switzerland and Europe. Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) statistics show that since 2006 more than 100 people each year commit suicide by jumping under trains in the confederation.

In light of this, the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) instigated a debate this week with experts, police forces, rescue teams and the press to address the issue which has long been considered taboo.

SBB head Andreas Meyer believes that public dialogue is necessary "to improve prevention capacities," adding that many train drivers also suffer from psychological traumas following a suicide.

"A number of our employees are unable to continue working after an incident," he said.

Train drivers are advised to block their vision and hearing to reduce the psychological impact of witnessing a suicide first hand, though this is not always possible as events happen so quickly.

According to medical experts, mental shock is prevalent after three months in close to half of the train drivers who go through this experience.

In these cases, specialised treatment is needed to help the patients shut out traumatising images and sounds.

In an attempt to curb the suicide-rate on its railways, SBB has installed barriers, increased police patrols and put up information panels with a special support number on station platforms.

According to local media, SBB will continue its campaign to raise awareness for the company's 30,000 employees, while enhancing cooperative measures with health organisations.

A number of 10,000 specially trained personnel will also come into action by the end of 2016 in Swiss railway stations to detect individuals who are at risk of putting an end to their lives on railways.

"We have become aware that we have a preventive role to play, a role we have entrusted to our units in charge of security," Meyer told Swiss newspaper Le Temps.

By the end of 2016, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) will have also implemented an action plan for suicide prevention in an attempt to proactively deal with this tragic issue.

Since 1970, Switzerland has significantly reduced its overall suicide rate from around 20 for every 100,000 people to 12,2 per 100,000 in 2012.

These figures, published by a World Health Organization (WHO) 2014 report, show that Switzerland's suicide rate for 2012 is slightly higher than the global average of 11,4.

WHO considers preventive measures essential to avoid tragedies which have long-lasting effects on families and communities, as well as for those who are left behind.