I am delighted to write the first editorial for the first issue of the Journal of Suicide Prevention (JSP). It should be remembered that suicidal behavior is amongst one of the most important public health topics all over the world. Worldwide suicide is the 13th leading cause of death [1]. It has also been estimated that in 2012 up to 804,000 suicide deaths occurred globally [2].
For publishing the results of studies on different aspects of such regrettable human behavior, there are outstanding specialist journals including: Archive of suicide research (www.tandfonline. com/loi/usui20), Crisis (https://us.hogrefe.com /products/journals/crisis), Suicide & life-threatening behavior (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111 /(ISSN) 1943-278X) and Suicidology Online (www.suicidology-online.com).
However, given the importance of combating suicidal behavior, there is still room for another journal and this is why we witness the birth of JSP. JSP is initiated and supported by the Iranian Scientific Society for Suicide Prevention (ISSSP). We hope that our journal will provide a strong platform for discussing diverse aspects of suicide behavior especially from the prevention point of view.
It is worth emphasizing that in spite of the advancement in suicide prevention worldwide, we still encounter many challenges including: “the accuracy and reliability of suicide statistics”, “insufficient resources”, “ineffective coordination”, “lack of enforcement of guidelines”, “limited access to surveillance data” and “lack of independent and systematic evaluations” [3].
Our primary focus will be on the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) of the World Health Organization (WHO). The EMR consists of 22 countries that include: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Islamic Republic  of Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia,  Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
The EMR has a unique characteristic and that is most of the countries within the region have an Islamic background and are affected by different wars, armed conflict, social unrest, natural disasters, etc. [4]. This means that especial attention should be paid to the mental health issues within the region. In terms of suicide epidemiology, the countries within the region also have unique patterns which are worth further investigation [5-8].  
The EMR however, is just one of the six regions of WHO and certainly there are lessons in suicide prevention that each region can learn from each other. Therefore, notwithstanding our primary focus we are open to receiving any relevant submissions from around the world.
For all these reasons, I would like to emphasize that we are committing to publish all worthy and relevant types of article including: original, systematic review, meta-analysis, traditional review, brief communication, commentary, letter to the editor, editorial, book review, film review, etc.
We have a distinguished international editorial board and entrust ourselves to a swift but comprehensive and transparent peer review process. Therefore, we hope that you are keen to share your hard work with your colleagues through our dedicated journal. 
I am eagerly looking forward to receiving your valuable contributions.
 
How to cite this article: Rezaeian M. The Birth of a New Suicidology Journal: the Journal of Suicide Prevention (JSP). JSP 2017; 1(1)
 
References
1. Lozano R, Naghavi M, Foreman K, Lim S, Shibuya K, Aboyans V, et al. Global and regional mortality from 235 causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet 2012; 380: 2095-2128.

2. World Health Organization. Preventing Suicide: a Global Imperative. World Health Organization: Geneva, Switzerland, 2014.
3. Arensman E. Suicide Prevention in an International Context. Crisis 2017; 38 (1): 1-6.
4. Rezaeian M. The Age and Sex Suicide Pattern in the Eastern Mediterranean Region Based on the Global Burden of Disease estimates for 2000. East Mediterr Health J 2007; 13: 10-17.
5. Rezaeian M. Suicide among young Middle Eastern Muslim females: The perspective of an Iranian epidemiologist. Crisis 2010; 31: 36-42.
6. Malakouti SK, Davoudi F, Khalid S, Ahmadzad Asl M, Moosa Khan M, Alirezaei N, Mirabzadeh A, DeLeo D. The Epidemiology of Suicide Behaviors among the Countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region of WHO: a Systematic Review. Acta Med Iran 2015; 53 (5): 257-65.
7. Khan MM. Understanding Suicide Bombing Through Suicide Research: The Case of Pakistan. Psychiatric Annals 2017; 47 (3): 145-50.
8. Rezaeian M. The geographical belt of self-immolation. Burns 2017; 43 (1): 245-6.