Berlin – – September 12, 2026 -- The German Medical Association (Bundesärztekammer, BÄK) has called for suicide prevention to be treated as a core duty for physicians across all medical specialties, not just psychiatry, ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10, 2026.
BÄK President Reinhardt says general practitioners and emergency teams routinely encounter suicidal patients
BÄK President Dr. Klaus Reinhardt said general practitioners, internists, oncologists, pain specialists, geriatricians and emergency department teams regularly treat patients in severe personal and health crises, often before those individuals ever reach psychiatric or psychotherapeutic care. He argued that a physician's willingness to ask directly about psychological distress or suicidal ideation can determine outcomes, and that medical consultations across all care settings should function as a bridge into specialized psychiatric, psychosomatic and psychotherapeutic treatment.
BÄK deems draft federal legislation on suicide prevention insufficient
Reinhardt criticized the government's current Referentenentwurf (draft bill) for legally anchoring suicide prevention, stating that its declarations of intent and preparatory measures fall far short of addressing existing needs or delivering sustainable improvement.
Association demands nationwide crisis hotline and hotspot safety measures
The BÄK is pushing for three concrete measures: low-threshold, rapidly accessible crisis services and counseling; a single, unified nationwide telephone hotline for people experiencing suicidal thoughts and their relatives; and consistent protective measures at known suicide hotspots, including specific bridges, tall structures and railway sections.
BÄK demands sustained funding for the National Suicide Prevention Strategy
The association called on policymakers to consistently expand and permanently finance measures already initiated under the National Suicide Prevention Strategy (Nationale Suizidpräventionsstrategie), rather than relying on further preparatory steps.