Here we are with the selection of articles published in the months of January and February 2020, about suicide, self harm and suicidal related topics from the major scientific journals.
Three articles are presented with a small comment by Raffaella Calati and Veronica Sprio.
Mobile Health Technology Interventions for Suicide Prevention:
Systematic Review
Ruth Melia, Kady Francis, Emma Hickey, John Bogue, Jim Duggan, Mary O’Sullivan,
Karen Young
JMIR Mhealth And Uhealth. January 2020;8(1):e12516). doi: 10.2196/12516
This systematic review aimed to examine the effectiveness of currently available mobile
health (mHealth) technology tools (e.g., iBobbly) in reducing suicide-specific outcomes.
Some positive impacts were reported for individuals at elevated risk of suicide or self-harm,
including reductions in depression, psychological distress, and self-harm and increases in
coping self-efficacy. However, none of the apps evaluated demonstrated the ability to
significantly decrease suicidal ideation compared with a control condition.
Item 1 – 3 of 3
Association Between the Release of Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why and Suicide Rates in the United States: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis.
Jeffrey A. Bridge, Joel B. Greenhouse, Donna Ruch, Jack Stevens, John Ackerman,
Arielle H. Sheftall, Lisa M. Horowitz, Kelly J. Kelleher, John V. Campo
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. February 2020; S0890-8567(19)30288-6. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2019.04.020
This analysis estimated the association between the release of the Netflix series 13
Reasons Why and suicide rates in the US. Results demonstrated that, after accounting for
seasonal effects and an underlying increasing trend in monthly suicide rates, the overall
suicide rate among 10- to 17-year-olds increased significantly in the month immediately
following the release of 13 Reasons Why.
Contrary to expectations, these associations were restricted to boys. Among 18- to 29-year-
olds and 30- to 64-year-olds, they found no significant change in level or trend of suicide
after the show’s release, both overall and by sex. The show’s release had no impact in the
control analyses of homicide deaths within any age group.
Item 2 – 3 of 3
Means restriction for the prevention of suicide by jumping (Review)
Okolie C, Wood S, Hawton K, Kandalama U, Glendenning AC, Dennis M, Price SF, Lloyd
K, John A
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. February 2020; Issue 2. Art. No.: CD013543.
doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013543.
This Cochrane systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of interventions to restrict the
availability of, or access to, means of suicide by jumping. These included the use of
physical barriers, fencing or safety nets at frequently-used jumping sites, or restriction of
access to these sites, such as by way of road closures. Results showed that jumping
means restriction interventions are capable of reducing the frequency of suicides by
jumping. However, due to methodological limitations of included studies, this finding is
based on low-quality evidence.
Item 3 – 3 of 3
EPA Section of Suicidology and Suicide Prevention 