Overview
The suicide prevention research program comprises a number of discrete projects that together seek to examine the efficacy, safety and acceptability of interventions specifically designed for at-risk young people. It also has a strong focus on informing and evaluating national, and state-based, suicide prevention policy.
Why is this research area important?
Around one quarter of deaths by people between the ages of 15 and 25 are attributed to suicide. Suicide-related behaviours are more common with lifetime rates of 17% and 30% for suicide attempts and suicidal ideation respectively.
Whilst much is known about the epidemiology of suicide-related behaviour, less is known about the efficacy of interventions designed to reduce risk. This has lead to a gap in knowledge that needs to be addressed in order to inform the development of evidence-based policy and clinical practice. This program seeks to address this gap.
Key questions
- What types of interventions (including new media-based interventions) are effective at reducing suicide risk among young people?
- Is it safe and acceptable to engage at-risk young people via the internet and social media?