Reflections on being President of IASP

REFLECTIONS ON MY TERM AS PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION (1991-1995)

David Lester

            When I joined the board of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) in 1989 as Vice-President, I saw two problems with the organization. First, previous Presidents had stayed in office for as long as they wished, despite the existence of many fine suicidologists. For example, the founder, Erwin Ringel was President from 1961 to 1971. Walter Poldinger was President from 1979 to 1985. Second, IASP was a flower that bloomed only every two years. In between those appearances (at the conferences), it died.

            The President from 1989-1991 was a fine gentleman , Nils Retterstøl, and he wanted to reign as President for only two years. I was elected President in 1991, and I intended to stay as President for only two years. With a board whose members agreed with me, we met to plan a future for IASP. The board consisted of myself, Hans Wedler (Germany), Gernot Sonneck (Austria), Rene Diekstra (the Netherlands), and Unni Bille-Brahe (Denmark). The board agreed with my suggestion to invite Vanda Scott, the Secretary-General of the Befrienders, to join us. There were frictions from time to time. Criticism of the 1991 IASP conference almost led to an international incident but, on the whole, we were an amicable board. We met often in Europe, including a wonderful weekend retreat at a converted convent in England arranged by Vanda, led by a professional group leader.

            A major problem arose. I wanted to have IASP focus on the leading suicidologists in the world, whereas the majority of the board wanted to encourage more participation by all nations, regardless of whether there were any good suicidologists in that country. In my view that would have led IASP in the wrong direction, watering it down rather than strengthening it.

            At the 1993 IASP conference in Montreal, Rene presented our progress to that point, and we delayed electing a new board until 1995. Since the board wanted to go in a different direction to my preference, I let them take the reins and make those decisions, but they felt that I had abandoned them. My intentions were good (to let them proceed unimpeded by my objections) but were not well received.

            I did step down as President, as planned in 1995, and IASP has proceeded in the direction I had desired. Presidents have stayed in office for no more four years (although I think the term should be limited to two years), and IASP has formed committees and working groups to develop position papers on important issues in suicidology, such as media guidelines. I think that IASP is a much stronger organization these days.

            Interestingly, because IASP did disappear for two years at a time, the European Symposium developed, meeting in those years that IASP did not meet. I attended an early meeting in Edinburgh in 1988, hosted magnificently and generously by Stephen Platt. In those days, attendance was limited to 100, and American participation was purposely limited. It has since opened attendance to all who desire to attend. The European Symposium still meets in those years that IASP doe not.

            During Nils’s term as President, Rene decided that he wanted to start a research academy. We tried at first to keep the International Academy for Suicide Research (IASR) as part of IASP, and the IASP board attended the opening ceremony, hosted (again magnificently and generously) by Diego De Leo in Padua, Italy, in 1990. Rene and I gave the opening addresses, and then we went off to a splendid banquet. It proved impossible to keep the Academy as part of IASP, and it soon became independent, although often holding brief meetings at meetings of IASP and other conferences.

            The journal for IASR was to be published by Kluwer and edited by myself. However, Kluwer is a Dutch publisher, and Rene kept interfering in negotiations and in the editorial process. I offered him the editorship, but he declined. The solution that I proposed was to have a fine Dutch suicidologist living and working Canada, Antoon Leenaars, take over the editorship. I thought that he would work more efficiently and smoothly with Kluwer since he, obviously, spoke fluent Dutch and could by-pass Rene. Antoon edited the Archives of Suicide Research for the first ten years, building it into a strong journal. Barbara Stanley has taken over and continues to produce a fine scholarly journal.