MQ Funded Research Projects in Suicide Prevention
Another way we can prevent suicide is to reach out to people in need. If you think someone is struggling, don’t do it he is afraid to approach them and ask them if they are alive. Evidence shows that asking pif they have thoughts of harming themselves, this is not the case make it more it is possible that will do. You can find more resources and advice at tlinks at the end of this article.
Other how we can prevent suicide it’s research, so suicidal ideation better understood and ultimately prevented.
Predicting Who is at Risk for Suicide
Identifying the brain differences associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors in young people is important to understanding how this develops and how to stop it.
Thanks to donors like you, MQ is able to fundraise Project HOPES (Help Overcome and Predict Suicide Emergency) which conducted an analysis of the brain structures of young people with emotional problems and histories of suicide attempts. Experts noticed that in a sample of 394 participants with mood disorders, there was a lower area of the area called the frontal pole in young people with a history of suicide attempts than those who had never done it.
The identification of the brain structures that cause young people to have suicidal thoughts and attempt suicide, is important in understanding why the risk of suicide arises, who will be involved and change to suicidal behavior, and in generating new strategies to find young people at risk and prevent them from dying by suicide. Find out more.
Using School Data to Identify Children at Risk
About 1 in 10 young people self-harm or have suicidal thoughts. But until recently there was little understanding of the risk factors.
The MQ Funded study, carried out by Dr Rina Dutta from Kings College London, used data to identify risk factors so that schools can provide better targeted support.
Rina’s research found that with a 10% increase in absenteeism, the likelihood of self-harm increased by 7%. He also discovered that the more successful a student is in school, the greater the risk of self-harm.
There are several possible explanations for the above results, including that poor school attendance may cause social isolation known to increase the risk of self-harm. Higher academic achievement may be associated with greater pressure to perform, which in turn increases the risk of self-harm.
This research, made possible only by generous MQ donors, provided unique insight into how schools can provide more targeted prevention strategies. Find out more.
Preventing Repeated Suicide Attempts
We know that if someone is trying to kill themselves and is admitted to hospital for treatment, the risk is always high that they will try again. But there is currently no standard, evidence-based help that workers can provide to reduce that risk. And many may experience delays in getting support from a counsellor, psychologist or psychiatrist.
Professor Rory O’Connor and his team at the University of Glasgow carried out research that investigated whether the support system for US veterans could be adapted to meet the urgent need in the UK.
The results showed that SAFETEL study is acceptable and possible. Hospital staff reported that the intervention included and complemented existing resources, and patients reported that they liked the simple and person-centered approach of the safety planning intervention.
