Psychological distress and suicidal ideation in Australian online help-seekers: The mediating role of perceived burdensomeness

Background Psychological distress, an umbrella term encompassing emotional anguish and cognitive-behavioral symptoms of anxiety and depression, is closely linked to suicidal ideation. However, the mechanism of this relationship is unclear, dampening the utility of distress screening in suicide prevention. Purpose This study aimed to identify potential mediators of this relationship, and whether effects are sex-specific. […]

The impact of universal suicide-prevention programs on the help-seeking attitudes and behaviors of youths

Background: While the ultimate goal of adolescent suicide-prevention efforts is to decrease the incidence of death by suicide, a critical intermediary goal is directing youths toward effective sources of assistance. Aim: To comprehensively review the universal prevention literature and examine the effects of universal prevention programs on student’s attitudes and behaviors related to help-seeking. Method: We systematically reviewed […]

The Personal Suicide Stigma Questionnaire (PSSQ): Relation to self-esteem, well-being, and help-seeking

Two studies are reported that extend the evidence base for use of the Personal Stigma of Suicide Questionnaire (PSSQ). In the first study (N = 117), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the WHO-5 measure of well-being, as well as measures of suicidality were examined in relation to the PSSQ. A self-selected sub-sample (N = 30) completed […]

Breaking down barriers to a suicide prevention helpline: Protocol for a web-based randomized controlled trial

Background: Globally, suicide is among the leading causes of death, with men being more at risk to die from suicide than women. Research suggests that people with suicidal ideation often struggle to find adequate help. Every month, around 4000 people fill in the anonymous self-test for suicidal thoughts on the website of the Dutch suicide […]

Efforts to prevent railway suicides in Denmark: A pilot study

Background: Reviews of camera surveillance systems have demonstrated ambivalent behaviors among people who die by railway suicide. Yet, only few preventive measures have been evaluated. Aims: We aimed to review incidents of suicidal behavior at a Danish railway station, install preventive measures, and monitor subsequent calls to a telephone helpline and reports of suicidal incidences. […]

Real-time mental health crisis response in the United States to COVID-19: Insights from a national text-based platform

Background: Data are scarce on assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people. Aim: To examine changes in crisis text patterns in the United States during the pandemic compared to the prepandemic period. Method: Nonintrusive data from a national digital crisis texting platform were analyzed using an interrupted time series design. Poisson regression with repeated-measures examined help-seeking patterns […]

A multicomponent digital intervention to promote help-seeking for mental health problems and suicide in sexual and gender diverse young adults: A randomized controlled trial

Background LGBTQ+ community’s higher susceptibility to worse mental health outcomes and more help-seeking barriers compared to the cis-heterosexual population. Despite the LGBTQ+ population facing higher mental health risks, there has been a dearth of research focusing on developing tailored interventions targeting them. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a digital multicomponent intervention in promoting […]

Suicide risk help-seeking among middle- to old-age adults: A systematic review

Background and Objectives Suicide has become a major public health concern worldwide and in the United States. Rates of suicide increase during the life course and are highest among middle- to old-age adults. Help-seeking represents a crucial coping mechanism that can mitigate suicide risk. Yet, less is known about suicide risk help-seeking, especially among these […]

Suicide risk, alcohol consumption and attitudes towards psychological help-seeking among Lithuanian general population men, conscripts and regular active duty soldiers

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between suicide risk, alcohol consumption, and attitudes towards professional psychological help among Lithuanian general population men, conscripts, and regular active duty (AD) soldiers. In total, 1195 Lithuanian adult males participated in the study: 445 men from the general population, 490 conscripts, and 260 regular AD […]

A blended face‑to‑face and smartphone intervention to improve suicide prevention literacy and help‑seeking intentions among construction workers: A randomised controlled trial

Purpose: In Australia and elsewhere, suicide rates among construction workers remain high. Construction workplaces are thus an important setting for targeted suicide prevention programs. This study aimed to compare suicide prevention literacy and help-seeking intentions among participants receiving face-to-face suicide prevention training, with those receiving face-to-face training augmented by a smartphone application. Methods: A two-arm randomised controlled […]

Help-seeking and Man Therapy: The impact of an online suicide intervention

Introduction Suicide is a leading cause of death for men in the United States. Men traditionally have been hesitant to seek help, based on masculine norms of stoicism and self-reliance, among other factors. Man Therapy (MT) is an online suicide prevention and mental health initiative that provides promise for facilitating male help-seeking. Methods This study […]

Help-seeking behavior among adults who attempted or died by suicide in Ontario, Canada

Introduction This study aims to determine the relationship between rurality and help-seeking behavior prior to a suicide or suicide attempt. Methods Data from 2007 to 2017 were obtained from administrative databases held at ICES, which capture all hospital, emergency department (ED), and general practitioner (GP) visits across Ontario. Rurality was defined using the Rurality Index […]

Relations between interpersonal hopelessness and help-seeking intentions and behaviors in suicidal individuals

Background: Due to an increasing suicide rate, risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) are an important target for research. Furthermore, individuals experiencing STBs often do not seek help. This highlights the need to assess factors that are associated with help-seeking intentions and behaviors. Aim: The current study examines the role of interpersonal hopelessness in help-seeking intentions […]

Suicidal behaviors and help-seeking attitudes among deaf and hard-of-hearing college students

Objective The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and help-seeking attitudes among D/HH and hearing college students. Method A total of 500,860 students completed the ACHA-NCHA-IIb (Fall 2011-Spring 2015). Survey administration and sampling methods differed across institutions. We randomly selected hearing students to have a 1:1 ratio […]

Considerations in the assessment of help-seeking and mental health service use in suicide prevention research

Objective The connection of individuals at elevated suicide risk to mental healthcare services represents a critical component of suicide prevention efforts. This article provides recommendations for enhancing the assessment of help-seeking and mental health service use within the context of suicide prevention research. Method We discuss evidence-based and theoretical rationale for improving current approaches to […]

Silence is deadly: A controlled trial of a public health intervention to promote help-seeking in adolescent males

Objective To test the effectiveness of a male-targeted upstream public health intervention in increasing help-seeking intentions for mental disorders and suicide in an adolescent population. Method A two-arm controlled trial was conducted with 10 schools in the Australian Capital Territory. A total of 594 male adolescents aged between 16 and 18 years participated in the study. […]

Experiences of hospitalization for suicide ideation and suicide attempt in gender diverse adults

Introduction This study sought to investigate general perceptions of suicide-related hospital-based care that Transgender/Gender Diverse (TGD) adults have experienced as well as correlates of their perceived usefulness of this care. Methods Data were collected via a cross-sectional online survey of N = 3718 self-identified TGD individuals. Single-item self-report measures of all constructs of interest were used. Results A […]

When health services are powerless to prevent suicide: Results from a linkage study of suicide among men with no service contact in the year prior to death

Aims: To investigate cases of suicide in which there was no healthcare contact, by looking at history of help-seeking and evidence of previous mental health vulnerability. To identify any life events associated with suicide for which individuals did not seek help. Background: Previous research has suggested that non-consultation is the main barrier to suicide prevention among men. […]

Association of 7 million+ tweets featuring suicide-related content with daily calls to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline and with suicides, United States, 2016–2018

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess associations of various content areas of Twitter posts with help-seeking from the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) and with suicides. Methods: We retrieved 7,150,610 suicide-related tweets geolocated to the United States and posted between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2018. Using a specially devised […]

Perceptions of public messaging to facilitate help seeking during crisis among U.S. veterans at risk for suicide

Objective The primary objectives of this study were to (1) examine how veterans at risk for suicide understand and interpret suicide prevention messages, and (2) identify message features that support (or hinder) help seeking behaviors. Method Individual virtual interviews (N = 40) were conducted from August 2018 to April 2019 with a nationwide sample of veterans who […]

Suicide risk profiles and barriers to professional help-seeking among college students with elevated risk for suicide

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, yet many students with elevated suicide risk do not seek professional help. This study identified suicide risk profiles among college students and examined these in relation to students’ perceived barriers to professional help-seeking. Data were obtained from college students (n = 1689) identified to be at […]

COVID-19 and MENtal health: Addressing men’s mental health needs in the digital world

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a source of stress and have important mental health implications for all persons but may have unique implications for men. In addition to the risk of contracting and dying from COVID-19, the rising COVID-19 death toll, ongoing economic uncertainty, loneliness from social distancing, and other changes to our lifestyles […]

Self-stigma and its relationship with rates of depression diagnosis: A study of suicide notes in Shanghai and Wuhan, China

Background: Self-stigma about suicide might impede people seeking help from mental health professionals. There is little research about self-stigma expressed by suicide decedents. Aims: We aimed to explore (a) self-stigma about suicide through examination of suicide notes; and (b) whether the expression of self-stigma was associated with the formal diagnoses of depression. Method: Data were extracted from notes left by […]