{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T14:56:40Z","timestamp":1790607400950,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":67,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789948800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":20,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788220800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Public Health Challenges"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Every year, more than 720,000 people worldwide die by suicide, with a striking 73% of these deaths occurring in low\u2010 and middle\u2010income countries (LMICs). The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 3.4.2 aims to reduce suicide mortality by one\u2010third, yet Bangladesh faces substantial challenges in meeting this benchmark. Although the official 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) estimate places the national suicide rate at 2.8 per 100,000, independent sources suggest a much higher burden of annual deaths\u2014often obscured by misclassification and underreporting. Despite recent advances, such as the National Mental Health Policy (2022) and the National Mental Health Strategic Plan (2020\u20132030), which targets a 5% reduction by 2025, implementation has stalled. Key obstacles persist, including the ongoing criminalization of suicide attempts, the absence of centralized surveillance data, and lack of a dedicated national prevention strategy. This commentary analyzes the intersection between global SDG targets and the Bangladeshi context, advocating for a multisectoral public health approach. To achieve measurable progress, we emphasize the need for decriminalization, restriction of access to lethal means, responsible media engagement, and increased financial investment in community\u2010 and school\u2010based interventions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/puh2.70382","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T04:58:57Z","timestamp":1790053137000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Suicide Prevention and the Sustainable Development Goals: The Case of Bangladesh"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"5","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8154-0284","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anisur Rahman","family":"Khan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sociology East West University  Dhaka Bangladesh"},{"name":"Institute for Social and Health Sciences (ISHS) University of South Africa  Johannesburg South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0521-5708","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"S. 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Yasir","family":"Arafat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biomedical Research Foundation  Dhaka Bangladesh"},{"name":"Department of Psychiatry Bangladesh Specialized Hospital  Dhaka Bangladesh"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4452-5792","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Najuwa","family":"Arendse","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Social and Health Sciences (ISHS) University of South Africa  Johannesburg South Africa"},{"name":"Violence, Injury and Social Asymmetries Research Unit University of South Africa and South African Medical Research Council  Cape Town South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_13_2_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization Suicide Worldwide in 2021: Global Health Estimates(WHO 2025) 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