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).