An Online Community May Help Reduce Suicide

Research Brief

An Online Community May Help Reduce Suicide

Cuerpo

Psychotherapy and medical treatment—the main interventions for preventing suicide—is not always effective and can be emotionally and financially burdensome. In a study published online on August 2 in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology that involved 528 adults, Peter Franz, Ph.D., and colleagues showed that participating in a free social media platform that supports people facing physical and mental health challenges may help adults at risk for suicide.

The adults, all with a history of suicidal thoughts, were randomly divided into two groups. One group was assigned to read short stories on the platform that described first-hand experiences with suicidal thoughts and recovery from having those thoughts. People in the second group were placed on a waiting list for the platform. Those participants who read the stories reported significantly less intense suicidal thoughts and behaviors compared with people on the waitlist.

Dr. Franz is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Psychiatry Research Institute at Montefiore Einstein (PRIME).