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Diego De Leo AO

Diego De Leo, AO, MD, PhD, DSc, FRANZCP, is the director of the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP), WHO Collaborating Centre on Research and Training in Suicide Prevention at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention.

Training

De Leo obtained his medical training in Padua, Italy. He qualified as a physician with a degree in medicine and Surgery at the University of Padua in 1977, and undertook a diploma in psychiatry from the same University in 1981. De Leo continued to study behavioral sciences at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands, where he completed his doctorate in 1988. His dissertation, Sunset Depression, generated one of the first books on self-destructive behaviours in the elderly, Depression and Suicide in Late Life.

Study of Suicide

While completing his psychiatric residency in the early 1980's, a cherished colleague took his own life; because of their trusted relationship, De Leo felt that he should have done more to help him - the shock and traumatization that ensued this event encouraged De Leo to pursue suicide as a research topic. Given the high rate of suicides in old age, De Leo trialled a system of assistance for the frail elderly at home that could provide both medical and psycho-social assistance to emotional and daily-life needs (TeleHelp/TeleCheck). His work with the Italian elderly was regarded as ground breaking, and inspired the creation of similar services internationally. De Leo created the first academic psychogeriatric service of Italy (1986). He was the founder of the Italian Association for Suicide Prevention (1987) and the first academic suicide research unit (1992).

World Health Organisation Involvements

After sharing the findings from his dissertation on Sunset Depression with Dr. Norman Sartorius and Dr. Leonid L. Prilipko of the World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, in 1991 the WHO gave De Leo a mandate to organize a meeting in Padua, Italy, on the future of mental health to be attended by world leaders in the area. Since then, he has sustained an uninterrupted relationship with the WHO, researching a number of topics from depression and stress-related conditions, to participating in international committees and task forces on the quality of suicide mortality data. With WHO Headquarters and the European Office De Leo worked on the topic of quality of life, particularly in the elderly; together with Professor David Jenkins, he created PEQOL: A package for the evaluation of the quality of life in old age, and then with Professors Jouko Lonnqvist, Rene’ Diekstra and Marco Trabucchi the LEIPAD. In 1995 he was the first chairperson (with Professor Helen Herrman) of the WHOQOL: A project to develop a health related quality of life instrument. De Leo has also been on a number of steering groups for the WHO including the WHO/EURO Multi-Centre Study on Suicidal Behaviour (originally the WHO/EURO Study on Parasuicide), from 1988 to 2001, which generated more than 200 references in the field of suicidology. It was during this time that he was appointed as director of the first WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention. This was at the University of Padua, Department of Psychiatry (1997-2002). He was also the ideator of the WHO/SUPRE-MISS study (2001-2006), which brought together countries such as China, Iran, Vietnam, Brazil, South Africa, Estonia, India and Sri Lanka and demonstrated the importance of continuity of care in reducing suicide mortality. During his time as President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, De Leo was successful in creating the World Suicide Prevention Day, observed on 10th September every year since 2003. In 2006, as director of the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, he was also appointed director of a new WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention at Griffith University. In the same year, a new collaborative effort was inspired by him and launched by the Western Pacific Office of the WHO (Manila): the Suicide Trends in At-Risk Territories (START) Study. De Leo was the main author of the chapter on Self-Directed Violence in the World Report on Violence and Health (2002), and provided original drafts for the Blue Booklet Series of WHO on suicide prevention for the monographs concerning guidelines to media professionals, recording of suicide data and registering of non-fatal suicidal behavior, and contributed to the suicide module of the mhGAP program of WHO. De Leo was one of the authors of the WHO report Preventing Suicide: A Global Imperative (2014).

Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP)

De Leo was selected by Griffith University as the director of AISRAP in 1998. The institute maintains the Queensland Suicide Register, a high-quality databank on suicide events of Queensland residents. In 2001 – a world first - De Leo organised post-graduate education in Suicide Prevention Studies (Certificate and Master). In 2002 AISRAP became an accredited agency for the delivery of suicide prevention training. In 2004, De Leo opened a research outpatient service (Life Promotion Clinic) for suicidal patients. This clinic is particularly specialised in psychological treatments; in addition, it operates also as a Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists agency by providing Basic and Advanced Training (Psychotherapy) to psychiatry registrars. In 2008, AISRAP became the National Centre of Excellence on Suicide Prevention by appointment of the Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Health and Aging.

Other Research Activities

Research interests outside AISRAP include the activities of the De Leo Fund Onlus, which is an NGO that provides assistance and care to those bereaved by traumatic deaths. This organization operates in Italy, where it also manages a national telephone helpline for people traumatized by sudden losses (e.g., suicide, road and work-related accidents, natural disasters, etc.). The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), on occasion of its world congresses (every two years) confers the De Leo Fund Award honouring the memory of Nicola and Vittorio, the beloved children of De Leo. This award is offered to distinguished scholars from developing countries in recognition of their outstanding research on suicidal behaviours carried out in their countries. De Leo is the coordinator of the Slovene Centre for Suicide Research, at the University of Primorska, Andrej Marusic Institute. He is a Faculty Affiliate, Department of Community Medicine, at the West Virginia University; a member of the Special Consortium on Suicide Prevention, American Army; and, a Honorary Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Queensland. He is a member of the Australian Suicide Prevention Advisory Council (ASPAC) and the Queensland Advisory Group on Suicide (QAGS). Prof De Leo is the author of scientific articles and books. His research interests include suicide in old age, cross-cultural differences in suicidal behaviors, definitional issues, data quality and psychological autopsy methods. De Leo’s most recent volumes are Turning Points (2011), and Bereavement after Traumatic Deaths (2013).

Main Awards and Honors

• The International Association for Suicide Prevention awarded him the Stengel Award in 1991 for research of the highest standards in the field of suicidology.
• In 2007, Griffith University awarded him the title of Doctor of Science for his internationally recognized research activities in the field of Suicidology and Psychogeriatrics.
• In 2007, he received the Life Research Award from the Commonwealth of Australia and Suicide Prevention Australia.
• The American Association of Suicidology awarded him with the Louis Dublin Award for outstanding services and contributions to the field of suicide prevention as evidenced by leadership, devotion and creativity (2011).
• In 2012 he was the winner of the Griffith University Research Leadership Award.
• On Australia Day, January 26th, 2013, the Queen Elizabeth II appointed him as an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia'' (AO) for his distinguished contributions to the field of psychiatry and the creation of national and international strategies for suicide prevention.
• In 2015 he was the winner of the Griffith University Senior Researcher Excellency Award.

Offices Held

• Past-President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
• Founder and Past-President of the International Academy for Suicide Research.
• Founder and Past-President of the Italian Association for Suicide Prevention.
• Co-founder of the Italian Society for PsychoOncology.
• Previous Member of Executive Board of the International Psychogeriatric Association.
• Previous Member of Executive Board of the Italian College of Psychiatrists.
• Founder and Previous Editor-in-Chief of the Italian Journal of Suicidology.
• Editor-in-Chief of Crisis, the Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention (Germany).
• Main Editor, Suicide Research: Selected Readings (AUS).
• Member of the editorial board of the international journals Behavioral Medicine (USA), Archives of Suicide Research (USA), Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior (USA), Suicidology Online (Austria), Journal of Affective Disorders (The Netherlands), Aging Clinical and Experimental Research (Italy), Open Geriatric Journal (USA), Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry (China), BMC Public Health (UK), Case Reports in Psychiatry (USA), World Journal of Psychiatry (China), Journal of Child and Adolescent Behavior (USA).
• Head, Psychogeriatric Service, University of Padua, Italy (1986-1998) and Suicide Research Unit (1992-1998).
• Former Director, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and Trianing in Suicide Prevention, University of Padua, Italy.
• Advisor and Member, WHO Global Network for Suicide Prevention and Research.
• Director, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Suicide Prevention, Griffith University, Brisbane.

Family Life

Prof De Leo is married to Cristina Trevisan, an interior decorator and modern art expert. They had two sons, Nicola and Vittorio, both killed in a road accident in Italy, on 5 April 2005.