Orygen’s Suicide Prevention Research Unit focuses on the development and testing of novel interventions that specifically target at-risk youth across settings, such as in education and on social media, and the translation of that research evidence into practice and policy.
The Suicide Prevention Unit is led by Professor Jo Robinson AM, the world’s leading expert in youth suicide prevention and President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
focus areas
Digital harms and online safety
Orygen's digital harms and online safety research stream is one the few dedicated research groups globally to focus specifically on the intersection of digital environments and youth suicide prevention.
We investigate how digital environments (e.g., social media, artificial intelligence, and gaming) introduce, exacerbate, or alleviate self-harm and suicide risk. Our research recognises that these impacts differ significantly across populations, including young women and girls, LGBTQIA+ young people, and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Our evidence-based research directly informs national and international suicide prevention and online safety policy. Our resources and findings are cited by governments, the World Health Organisation, and major social media and technology platforms globally.
The #chatsafe program: Harnessing social media for suicide prevention
The flagship #chatsafe program developed the world’s first evidence-based best practice guidelines for safe peer-to-peer communication about suicide and self-harm online. First released in 2018, and then updated in 2023, the #chatsafe guidelines are accompanied by resources for adults. The advice continues to be shared with millions of young people, through an ongoing social media campaign that has been created by young people, for young people.
Shown to be safe and effective, #chatsafe has now reached more than 15 million young people worldwide and is now available in over 25 countries and over 20 languages. Building on this success, it also informs the world's first postvention support program delivered entirely via social media in partnership with local and international governments and health services, providing crucial support to young people and communities affected by suicide. For more on #chatsafe, check out the website.
Schools and education settings
We have a strong focus on developing and testing suicide prevention programs across school, tertiary, and university settings. Our flagship school program is the Multimodal Approach to Preventing Suicide in Schools (MAPSS) project.
Recognising that best practice recommends combining universal, selective, and indicated prevention strategies, and that this had not previously been done in schools, MAPSS integrates universal suicide prevention skills training for all students, selective screening to identify those at risk, and Reframe IT, an online cognitive behavioural therapy program specifically designed for young people experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Each component was independently piloted with input from young people before being brought together into a single program. The first Australian trial, completed in 2024, found MAPSS to be safe, feasible, and effective at identifying previously unknown at-risk students.
The program has since been adapted internationally, with trials in both the UK and Chile and ongoing work to explore opportunities to expand the model to other populations such as university students.
Clinical settings
Given the relatively high rates of suicide and suicide-related behaviour among young people who are in contact with clinical services, a large portion of our work program focusses on these settings. The largest of these projects currently underway involves evaluating Orygen’s HOPE service, which supports young people who present to ED with suicidal thoughts or behaviour.
Additionally, we are currently conducting a body of work related to suicide safety planning, an intervention routinely used in clinical settings. We have also conducted projects across emergency department, tertiary mental health, and primary care settings, and have previously developed guidelines for clinicians on integrating digital tools into clinical care for young people at risk of suicide.
Social determinants
Social determinants of health – such as the cost-of-living crisis, housing instability, exposure to discrimination, and lack of access to infrastructure – strongly influence the wellbeing of young Australians. These difficulties can lead to or exacerbate stress, hopelessness, anxiety and depression, all of which are linked to suicidal thoughts and self-harming behaviours.
Some young people are disproportionately disadvantaged, such as those from LGBTIQA+ and/or culturally and linguistically diverse communities. However, supportive and equitable environments and communities can be protective, and ultimately improve young people’s wellbeing.
The Right Here, Right Now program
Our Right Here, Right Now program aims to assess the social determinants, and risk and protective factors, associated with mental ill-health, suicidal ideation, and self-harm in a national sample of young Australians. This program involves:
- National survey: A large-scale survey of approximately 3000 Australians aged 12-25 years was conducted in 2025. The survey assessed the prevalence of mental ill-health, suicidal ideation, and self-harm, explored what predicts these experiences, and the major concerns facing young people today – such as cost of living, equity and discrimination, and academic pressures.
- Ecological momentary assessment (EMA): A real-time investigation was conducted to explore the individual risk and protective factors associated with suicidal thoughts and self-harm, such as mood, thought patterns, and physical and social contexts.
- Dynamic systems modelling: This study aims to identify which interventions are likely to have the most impact on mental ill-health, suicidal ideation & self-harm among young Australians based on dynamic systems modelling of data from studies one and two.
Right Here, Right Now is a collaboration between Orygen, The University of Sydney, Australian National University, the University of Newcastle, and KU Leuven (Belgium).
Families and carers
The Family and Carer Suicide Prevention research stream focuses on understanding and addressing the needs of families and carers connected to suicide risk. This includes two key groups: families and carers supporting young people experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours, and young people who themselves are carers of family members at risk of suicide.
Recognising that suicide risk is embedded within relational and social contexts, the program positions families not only as supporters, but also as individuals with their own support needs and vulnerabilities.
The stream brings together lived experience, clinical, and research expertise to generate evidence that informs family-inclusive prevention strategies.
Key priorities include:
One example of this work is the Coping With Self-Harm resource, co-developed with parents and carers of young people, and young people themselves, aimed at helping parents, carers and family members and friends cope when a person is self-harming.
Youth and lived experience involvement
The youth and lived experience involvement suicide prevention research stream centres the voices, expertise, and leadership of young people with lived and living experience of suicidal thoughts and behaviours, as well as those who support them.
Recognising lived experience as a critical form of knowledge, this program embeds meaningful, ethical, and sustained involvement of young people across all stages of research – from priority setting and design to implementation, interpretation, and dissemination.
The stream aims to move beyond tokenistic engagement by developing and evaluating models of partnership that are inclusive, trauma-informed, and developmentally appropriate.
Key priorities include:
- Strengthening methods for safe and effective youth participation in suicide prevention research (see the Orygen guidelines)
- Understanding the impacts of involvement on young people, including potential benefits and risks (see article in Suicide Research)
- Building capacity among researchers, services, and systems to embed lived experience leadership in practice and policy.
key publications
resources
- #chatsafe: Evidence based advice for young people, their supporters and communities on how to talk safely online about self-harm and suicide. More resources available on the #chatsafe website.
- Coping with Self-Harm: Co-developed by parents and carers of young people, as well as young people themselves, this resource includes information on the nature and causes of self-harm, how to support a young person when facing this problem and what help is available.
See more resources here.
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