How to Detect and Confront with a Suicide Cluster?

The suicide cluster refers to the gathering of two or more cases of suicide that are so close in terms of time and place that they cannot have happened by chance. The occurrence of suicide cluster, especially if it occurs among teenagers and young people of an area can bring about many challenges to the health system. In addition, lack of timely identification and an effective plan to deal with suicide clusters can lead to pessimism and distrust in people towards the local and regional authorities. In recent years, there have been some reports of suicide clusters in Iran and around the world, which unfortunately has brought various unwanted consequences. Therefore, this article seeks to answer two important questions: First, how it would be possible to detect a real suicide cluster in the shortest possible time? Second, how it would be possible to design, implement, and evaluate an effective program to deal with a suicide cluster?