The scope of a community diagnosis on Suicide: Reflections from experience

Abstract

The article analyzes the challenges and lessons learned from a project that conducted a community assessment of suicide in a rural community in San Jose, Costa Rica. The first section contains a theoretical reflection of suicide from a psychosocial approach and subsequently the five stages that were followed in the process (planning, review of information, field work, report writing and presentation of the results to the community). It concludes with reflections on the challenges and lessons learned, especially how the diagnosis enables understanding the problematic, propose work strategies and facilitate community outreach.