Impact of global public health days on online health‑information‑seeking behavior related to substance use: An analysis of five‑year data

The United Nations Organizations observe various global public health days (GPHDs) (also known as world days) throughout the year. We aimed to assess the impact of GPSDs on online health information-seeking behavior related to substance use in the Indian context. We used the Google Trends data for this study using standard guidelines. We conducted a […]

Stepped-care versus therapist-guided, internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy for childhood and adolescent anxiety: A non-inferiority trial

Objective This preregistered randomized trial examined whether a stepped-care approach to internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT-SC) is non-inferior to therapist-guided ICBT (ICBT-TG) for child and adolescent anxiety. Method Participants were 137 Australians, aged 8–17 years (56 male), with a primary anxiety disorder. This randomized, non-inferiority trial compared ICBT-SC to an evidence-based, ICBT-TG program with assessments conducted at baseline, 12 weeks and […]

Reflection of suicidal ideation in terms searched for by Japanese internet users

Background: The relationship between search terms and suicidal ideation is not precisely known. Aims: This study examined the relationship between the types of terms used in web searches and the level of suicidal ideation among individuals who conduct such searches. Methods: A total of 508 Internet users completed a suicidal ideation scale and conveyed to us the words […]

Providing crisis care in a pandemic: A virtual based crisis stabilization unit

Background: Winnipeg, Canada operates a 16-bed subacute unit, the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU), for voluntary patients in crisis not requiring hospital admission. The virtual CSU (vCSU) launched in March 2020 as an adjunct to the in-person CSU during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing the same resources virtually, allowing patients to remain at home. Methods: Program data […]

The relationship between working alliance and treatment outcome in an internet-based grief therapy for people bereaved by suicide

Background Working alliance is an important component in the therapy process, however its’ role in bereavement interventions has rarely been studied. This study investigates the relationship between working alliance and treatment outcome, the change of working alliance throughout therapy and patient characteristics as predictors of working alliance. Methods Data from a randomized controlled trial including […]

Young people’s reasons for feeling suicidal: An analysis of posts to a social media suicide prevention forum

Background: While considerable attention has been given to explanations for youth suicide, less is known about the reasons that young people themselves give for suicidality. Research on online communications gives an opportunity to investigate the real-time reasons young people give for feeling suicidal. Aims: This study aimed to identify the reasons that young people provide for feeling suicidal […]

Suicide prevention via the Internet: A descriptive review

Background: While concerns abound regarding the impact of the Internet on suicidal behaviors, its role as a medium for suicide prevention remains underexplored. Aims: The study examines what is currently known about the operation and effectiveness of Internet programs for suicide and self-harm prevention that are run by professionals. Method: Systematic searches of scholarly databases and suicide-related academic […]

The effect of suicide-related Internet use on users’ mental health: A longitudinal study

Background: Previous studies have shown that suicide-related Internet use can have both negative and positive psychological effects. Aims: This study examined the effect of suicide-related Internet use on users’ suicidal ideation, depression/anxiety tendency, and loneliness. Method: A two-wave panel study of 850 Internet users was conducted via the Internet. Results: Suicide-related Internet use (e.g., browsing websites about suicide methods) […]

Internet-based screening for suicidal ideation in common mental disorders

Background: Common mental disorders have been found to be related to suicidal ideation and behavior. Research in the field of web-based interventions for common mental disorders, however, usually excludes participants with a suicidal risk, although a large proportion of participants might suffer from suicidal ideation. Aims: To investigate the prevalence of suicidal ideation in common mental disorders in […]

Reporting of suicide by the New Zealand media

Background: Rates of suicide in New Zealand are high compared with those of other countries. International evidence suggests that the reporting of suicide may influence rates of suicidal behavior. No research exists, however, on the reporting of suicide by New Zealand media. Aims: This study provides the first baseline picture of the reporting of suicide by New Zealand […]

Media guidelines in the internet age

In recent years, there has been growing concern over the reporting by the media of those who die by suicide. Recommendations have been proposed by various groups, such as the Centers for Disease Control (1994), the World Health Organization and the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) (WHO & IASP, 2008). In addition, scholarly research has […]

Suicide prevention and emergent media: Surfing the opportunity

At the recent 2011 IASP conference in Beijing and at the European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behavior (ESSSB) in Rome in 2010, there were lively sessions that demonstrated the surge of interest in the role of newer media in the etiology of suicidal behaviors and as potential tools in suicide prevention. A search of […]

Hyperlinked suicide: Assessing the prominence and accessibility of suicide websites

Background: The relationship between the Internet and suicide is a topic of growing concern among suicide researchers and the public, though to date few have actually attempted to investigate the accessibility and prominence of suicide-related information online, and there have been no comprehensive studies of site networking structure. Aims: To assess the visibility of various types of […]

Association between internet searches related to suicide/self-harm and adolescent suicide death in South Korea in 2016-2020: Secondary data analysis

Background: Previous studies have investigated the association between suicide and internet search volumes of terms related to suicide or self-harm. However, the results varied by people’s age, period, and country, and no study has exclusively investigated suicide or self-harm rates among adolescents. Objective: This study aims to determine the association between the internet search volumes […]

Exploring the singularity between Google searches and suicide deaths after celebrity suicides

The purpose of this study is to suggest the need to strengthen suicide prevention monitoring for the mentally vulnerable by analyzing the specificity and relation between the suicide search volume of Google Trends and the number of suicide deaths according to celebrities’ suicides. The focus of this study is on the high suicide death rates […]

Internet searches for “insomnia” and “suicide” mediated by stay-at-home behaviors in 45 countries during the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic

Background This study aimed to investigate (1) the mental health impacts (i.e., insomnia and suicide ideas) of the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) the mediation effects of stay-at-home levels on those impacts. Methods This study investigated monthly national COVID-19 deaths, stay-at-home levels, and internet searches for words for “insomnia” and “suicide” across 45 countries during the […]

A systematic review of the evidence supporting mobile- and internet-based psychological interventions for self-harm

Objectives Internet- and mobile phone-based psychological interventions have the potential to overcome many of the barriers associated with accessing traditional face-to-face therapy. Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (STB) are prevalent global health problems that may benefit from Internet- and mobile-based interventions. We provide a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies evaluating mobile- and Internet-based interventions for […]

Rates and predictors of deterioration in a trial of internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for reducing suicidal thoughts

Objective It is necessary for suicide prevention interventions to demonstrate safety. One important aspect of safety is evidence that deterioration rates are low. No studies have examined deterioration of suicidal ideation in the context of an internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention to reduce suicidal ideation. A secondary analysis of the outcomes of an online […]

Implementing a peer advocate mental health digital intervention program for Ohio youth: Descriptive pilot study

Background: In the United States, millions of adolescents report poor mental health, where 1 in 5 teenagers considers suicide. Reducing stigma and fostering peer support remains critical for positive mental health interventions and programs. Increasingly, digital mental health tools have emerged with great promise, leveraging social networks. Despite the potential, limited understanding of such comprehensive […]

Considerations in designing digital peer support for mental health: Interview study among users of a digital support system (Buddy Project)

Background: Peer support is an approach to cope with mental illness, and technology provides a way to facilitate peer support. However, there are barriers to seeking support in offline and technology-mediated contexts. Objective: This study aims to uncover potential ways to design digital mental health peer support systems and to outline a set of principles for future […]

More depression-related public concern after the suicide of a pop star in China: Evidence from the online big data platform

Background: In China, we have seen dramatic increases in public concern over depression and mental health after the suicide of some famous persons. The objective of this study is to investigate the changes of search-engine query patterns to monitor this phenomenon based on the tragic suicide of a young Chinese pop star, Kimi Qiao. Methods: The daily […]

Searching online for methods of suicide: A content analysis of Danish and English-language websites describing methods of suicide

Background: Information on methods of suicide is available online, and access to information on methods of suicide appears to contribute to a small but significant proportion of suicides. There is limited documentation of how methods of suicide are being profiled, as well as what content exists in other languages than English. Aim: We aimed to analyze and compare […]

The opportunities and challenges of regulating the internet for self-harm and suicide prevention

Working to influence government policy on suicide prevention in the United Kingdom usually means working with the government Department of Health and Social Care around the cross-government suicide prevention strategy in England, and likewise in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Rarely does an opportunity come along that involves influencing legislation, but this is what is […]