Strategies to Prevent Suicide

Everyone can help prevent suicide by learning the warning signs, promoting prevention and resilience, and committing to social change.

Strengthen economic supports

• Improve household financial security
• Stabilize housing

Create protective environments

• Reduce access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide
• Create healthy organizational policies and culture
• Reduce substance use through community-based policies and practices

Improve access and delivery of suicide care icon

• Cover mental health conditions in health insurance policies
• Increase provider availability in underserved areas
• Provide rapid and remote access to help
• Create safer suicide care through systems change

Promote healthy connections

• Promote healthy peer norms
• Engage community members in shared activities

Teach coping and problem-solving skills

• Support social-emotional learning programs
• Teach parenting skills to improve family relationships
• Support resilience through education programs

Identify and support people at risk

• Train gatekeepers
• Respond to crises
• Plan for safety and follow-up after an attempt
• Provide therapeutic approaches

Lessen harms and prevent future risk

• Intervene after a suicide (postvention)
• Report and message about suicide safely

Do call helplines work?

There are various call helplines for suicide but according to recent research, just because calls increase doesn’t necessarily mean suicide rates decrease.

Matthew Nock, a Harvard psychology professor says, “While calling might bring someone comfort in the moment, there’s no scientific evidence that suicide hotlines prevent suicide in the long run. “There is no evidence that this is helpful or the right thing to do,” Nock says.

Strong student-adult relationships lower suicide attempts in high schools

A recent study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry has found that high schools where students have stronger social connections with both their peers and adult staff have lower rates of suicide attempts. The study surveyed over 10,000 students from 38 high schools to examine the social integration and relationship networks within each school.

The researchers discovered that schools with fewer friendship connections, where friendships were concentrated among a small number of students, had higher rates of suicide attempts and ideation. Additionally, suicide attempts were more prevalent in schools where students were isolated from adults, and nominations of trusted adults were concentrated among a few students. In fact, a 10 percent increase in the number of students isolated from adults correlated with a 20 percent increase in suicide attempts.

Conversely, schools with strong bonds between students and their close friends who shared the same trusted adults, as well as a smaller number of adults nominated by a larger proportion of students, had lower rates of suicide attempts. This indicates that having a well-identified and competent adult connected to many students can play a crucial role in suicide prevention.

The study highlights the need to focus on social networks within schools when developing interventions to prevent suicide. It suggests strategies such as training student peer group leaders to promote positive social behaviours and connecting responsive adults to student social groups. The research emphasizes the importance of considering the health of social ties and systems in suicide prevention efforts, alongside individual risk factors.

A critical step in preventing military suicides

Suicidal behaviour among active-duty service members can be reduced for up to six months with a relatively simple intervention that gives them concrete steps to follow during an emotional crisis, according to a new study from the University of Utah’s National Center for Veterans Studies.

The study’s findings show there was a 75 percent reduction in suicide attempts among participants who engaged in crisis response planning versus a contract for safety. Crisis response planning also was associated with a significantly faster decline in suicidal thoughts and fewer inpatient hospitalization days.

“Our results mark a critical next step in preventing military suicides,” said Craig J. Bryan, an associate professor of psychology and director of the U’s National Center for Veterans Studies.

Together, let us be the agents of change and build a society that nurtures mental well-being and embraces every life with love and acceptance.

Source:

www.sciencedaily.com; www.vice.com; www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; www.timesofindia.com; www.govtst.edu; www.bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com; www.sciencedirect.com; www.cdc.gov; www. childadolescentpsych.cumc.columbia.edu; www.ncrb.gov.in

Help is here:

Name of the Organisation: Aasra

AASRA volunteers conduct workshops on different levels with high-risk target groups eg school, college students, highly-stressed employees of call centres, financial institutions, multinationals etc. AASRA volunteers have Outreach programs to reach out to the multitudes who may choose to end their lives because of chronic suffering or terminal illness.

Contact: email:  aasrahelpline@yahoo.com

 Telephone: 91-9820466726

Name of the Organisation: Saath

Saath is a voluntary organization, which was started in Ahmedabad on 27th November 1998. It is a non-religious, non-political organization that values human life and feelings.

Contact: Email: saath12@yahoo.com

Telephone:  91-79 26305544, 26300222