99 The International Academy of Suicide Research

The International Academy of Suicide Research (IASR) was established in Bologna on 29 September 1990, at Padua University (De Leo and Schmidtke 2001). In his inauguration speech, the late Professor Nils Retterstøl from Oslo, Norway, welcomed this association of the world's leading researchers in suicidology and suicide prevention as an essential step forward in the field (IASR 2004a).

The overall aim of the Academy is to reduce the mortality and morbidity of suicide-related incidents by promoting the highest standard of suicide research and fostering communication and collaboration among scholars in the field of suicidology.

Traditionally, suicide research has focused on the psychological and behavioural characteristics of suicide attempters. However, promising evidence of the biology of suicide has emerged and, accordingly, the IASR now aims to promote more research in this specific area of suicidology. Another of IASR's objectives is to promote research on evaluation of preventive interventions and of suicide-prevention programmes under way in various countries. Examining the effects of various prevention programmes in different countries and cultures makes it possible to identify which components of an intervention are effective, and thus draw up better strategies for future suicide-preventive programmes (Mann et al. 2005).

The constitution outlines the Academy's principles, bylaws and rules (IASR 2004b). The Academy is a non-profit organization, headed by a Board of Directors comprising a President-Elect, the current President, the immediate Past President and a Secretary-Treasurer. The first president, Professor René Diekstra (The Netherlands), was followed by Professor Diego De Leo (Italy), Professor Armin Schmidtke (Germany), Professor John Mann (USA), Professor Danuta Wasserman (Sweden), Professor Jouko Lönnqvist (Finland) and Professor David Shaffer (USA).

Under the Academy's bylaws, there are two categories of membership: member and associate. Member status is for individuals who have consistently established ‘an enduring reputation as a distinguished scholar in the field of suicidal behaviour’, while the associate category comprises individuals who have not yet established an ‘enduring reputation’ but currently hold academic posts in suicide research. Every candidate wishing to become a member must be nominated by one Academy member and seconded by another. Nominees are then accepted or rejected by a committee appointed by the Academy's current President and approved by the Board of Directors.

Archives of Suicide Research (ASR) is the official journal of the Academy. Under the direction of the editor-in-chief Professor Barbara Stanley (USA) and her co-editors Professor Alan Apter (Israel) and Professor Thomas Bronisch (Germany), ASR is emerging as the leading journal in suicide research.

Articles published in ASR represent a wide range of disciplines, including biology, epidemiology, psychiatry, psychology and sociology. It also publishes book and research reviews, suicidology news and notes, and case studies (Taylor and Francis, Archives of Suicide Research 2008).

The Academy's lifetime achievement award is named in honour of Enrico Morselli (1852–1929), an epidemiologist at the University of Genoa School of Medicine. Morselli, a predecessor of Emile Durkheim, was a pioneer of the application of statistical methods to suicidology, and addressed the influence of society on suicide rates. This biennial award, in the form of the Morselli Medal, is given by the Academy to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the study of suicidal behaviour and/or suicide prevention. The Morselli Medal was awarded to Professor Marie Åsberg of Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden in 2003; Professor Aaron Beck of Pennsylvania University, USA, in 2005; and Professors Edwin Shneidman (USA) and Norman Farberow (USA), both previously active at the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center, in 2007. Letters from Professor Shneidman and Professor Farberow, models for many generations of scientists, to the IASR members are presented in Figures 99.1 and 99.2.

The Academy has held annual meetings for members since 1990. The most recent took place in Stockholm, Sweden in 2003; New York, USA 2004 and 2005 Portoroz, Slovenia in 2006; Killarney, Ireland in 2007; and Glasgow, Scotland in 2008.

The Academy's ultimate goals of broadening communication among researchers and scholars in the field of suicide and setting the highest standards for suicide research were attained during the Nobel Conference entitled ‘The Role of Genetics in Promoting Suicide Prevention and Mental Health of the Population’, which was organized by the National Swedish Prevention of Suicide and Mental Ill-Health (NASP) at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2009. The conference was funded by the Nobel Foundation and the Association of the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute. The most prominent researchers in the field from all over the world attended this event.

Since the creation of the International Academy of Suicide Research in 1990, the organization has contributed a great deal of knowledge in the field of suicidology. The IASR has focused on crucial elements of suicide research including suicide prevention programmes and interventions. Suicidology is a complex multidisciplinary field because suicidal behaviour is the outcome of factors in the individual, their immediate family and friends and society. It is the unique interaction of these many factors in each individual patient that determines their risk for suicide, thus making it difficult to predict and prevent. The IASR provides a crucial forum for the discussion of research by researchers in the many disciplines united by the goal of understanding the causes of suicide and determining how to prevent it. Such scientific attention also helps to break the stigma associated with suicide and gives hope to the many families affected by this tragedy. Focused academic suicide organizations, such as the IASR are vital sources of greatly needed knowledge as to how to reduce suicide mortality and morbidity.