Suicide Prevention and New Technologies: Evidence Based Practice

221 Pages·2013·0.971 MB·English

by  Brian Mishara, Ad Kerkhof

Suicide Prevention and New Technologies

9781137351685_01_prexviii.indd i 9/4/2013 3:57:40 PM
Also by Brian L. Mishara
CONSUMER’S GUIDE TO MENTAL HEALTH (c o-author )
ALCOHOL AND OLD AGE: Use and Abuse ( co-author )
LE VIEILLISSEMENT (c o-author )
DRUGS AND AGING ( co-author )
L’AVENIR DES AÎNÉS APRÈS L’AN 2000 ( co-editor )
THE IMPACT OF SUICIDE (c o-editor )
COMPRENDRE LE SUICIDE ( co-author )
ÉVALUATION DE PROGRAMMES EN PRÉVENTION DU SUICIDE ( co-editor )
Also by Ad J. F. M. Kerkhof
MULTIDISCIPLINARY GUIDELINE ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT OF SUICIDAL
BEHAVIOUR (co-author, in Dutch)
WORRYING ABOUT SUICIDE (co-author, in Dutch)
STOP WORRYING (author)
SUICIDE PREVENTION IN ACTUAL PRACTICE (co-author, in Dutch)
SUICIDE IN PRISON (co-author, in Dutch)
SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR IN EUROPE (co-author)
9781137351685_01_prexviii.indd ii 9/4/2013 3:57:40 PM
Suicide Prevention and
New Technologies
Evidence Based Practice
Edited by
Brian L. Mishara
Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
and
Ad J. F. M. Kerkhof
VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

9781137351685_01_prexviii.indd iii 9/4/2013 3:57:41 PM
Selection and editorial matter © Brian L. Mishara and Ad J. F. M. Kerkhof 2013
Individual chapters © Respective authors 2013
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2013 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries
ISBN: 978–1–137–35168–5 hardback
ISBN: 978–1–137–35171–5 paperback
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing
processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the
country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
9781137351685_01_prexviii.indd iv 9/4/2013 3:57:41 PM
Contents

List of Tables v ii
List of Figures viii
Preface: The Future of Suicide Prevention at Our Doorstep ix
Notes on Contributors x iii
1 Suicide Prevention and New Technologies: Towards
Evidence Based Practice 1
Brian L. Mishara and Louis-Philippe Côté
2 Expressing, Communicating and Discussing Suicide:
Nature, Effects and Methods of Interacting through Online
Discussion Platforms 24
Christine Thoër
3 E-Therapies in Suicide Prevention: What Do They
Look Like, Do They Work and What Is the Research Agenda? 39
Simon Hatcher
4 Reducing the Burden of Suicidal Thoughts through Online
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Self Help 50
Ad J. F. M. Kerkhof, Bregje A. J. van Spijker and Jan. K. Mokkenstorm
5 Challenges in the Control and Regulation of
Suicide Promotion and Assistance over the Internet 63
Brian L. Mishara and David N. Weisstub
6 Mental Health Online: A Self-Report and E-Learning Program for
Enhancing Recognition, Guidance and Referral of Suicidal
Adolescents 7 6
Rezvan Ghoncheh, Carmen E. Vos, Hans M. Koot and
Ad J. F. M. Kerkhof
7 Avatars and the Prevention of Suicide among Adolescents 87
Xavier Pommereau
8 Crisis Chat: Providing Chat-Based Emotional Support 96
Mary Drexler
v
9781137351685_01_prexviii.indd v 9/4/2013 3:57:41 PM
vi Contents
9 The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and New
Technologies in Suicide Prevention: Crisis Chat and
Social Media Initiatives 111
Gillian Murphy
10 Results and Experiences of 113Online, a Comprehensive
Dutch Online Suicide Prevention Platform 1 23
Jan. K. Mokkenstorm, Annemiek Huisman, Ad J. F. M. Kerkhof
and Jan H. Smit
11 Suicide Bereavement Online: Sharing Memories,
Seeking Support, and Exchanging Hope 150
Karolina Krysinska and Karl Andriessen
12 Innovating to Treat Depression and Prevent Suicide:
The IPhone @PSY ASSISTANCE Application 166
Réal Labelle, Antoine Bibaud-De Serres and
François-Olivier Leblanc
13 Promising Practices, Future Prospects and Research Agenda 181
Ad J. F. M. Kerkhof and Brian L. Mishara
Index 195

9781137351685_01_prexviii.indd vi 9/4/2013 3:57:42 PM
List of Tables
4.1 D aily record of suicide-related thoughts 5 5
6.1 T he eight e-learning modules of Mental
Health Online program 82
10.1 S ite usage statistics 132
10.2 P ageview percentage per target audience 133
10.3 P ageview percentage of young target audiences 133
10.4 F requency of visits by unique visitors 134
10.5 C hanges in feelings from the beginning to the end of
chat sessions 139
10.6 C aller situations and attitudes in chats containing
railway related content 141
11.1 R ecommended design for grief-related websites 161
vii
9781137351685_01_prexviii.indd vii 9/4/2013 3:57:42 PM
List of Figures
3.1 Targets of suicide prevention interventions and
the place of e-therapies 44
3.2 The Journal (www.depression.org.nz) usage activity 46
7.1 “Through Fire and Blood” self-portrait by Clara,
16, Abadie Centre (author’s private collection) 90
7.2 “Self-portrait”, Jessica, 16, altered doll, Abadie Centre
(author’s private collection) 91
7.3 Artwork by Jordan, 15, figurine made of modelling clay,
Abadie Centre (author’s private collection) 92
7.4 “Guitar Hero Back from Everything”, form by Léa,
14, Abadie Centre (author’s private collection) 93
7.5 Avatar for Sandra, 14, Centre Abadie
(author’s private collection) 94
10.1 Railway Signpost: “I Listen” 1 40
12.1 Mobile phone subscription rate for developed,
developing and global world 168
12.2A Example of @Psy ASSISTANCE screenshots 172
12.2B Example of @Psy ASSISTANCE screenshots 1 73
12.2C Example of @Psy ASSISTANCE screenshots 174
viii
9781137351685_01_prexviii.indd viii 9/4/2013 3:57:42 PM
Preface: The Future of Suicide
Prevention at Our Doorstep

New technologies have entered the field of suicide prevention with
great expectations for the future, despite a relatively slow start. The
Internet, mobile phones and computer self-help programmes have a
strong potential to reach, support and help suicidal people, their fami-
lies, teachers, caregivers and bereaved survivors. Worldwide the use of
new technologies is beginning to be embraced by volunteers and profes-
sionals, by crisis lines, suicide prevention centres, mental health centres,
researchers and politicians. This has created a wave of hope that new,
better and cheaper services will soon be available to effectively reach and
help vulnerable people and prevent suicides. The potential of helping
vulnerable people who do not use conventional mental health services
and people in regions with limited psychiatric facilities is appealing.
But is all this enthusiasm justified? Do new technologies really help
reach those people who most need support? Similar concerns were raised
when telephone helpline services came into operation over 50 years ago.
This question proved difficult to answer, and many decades of research
were needed to finally conclude that telephonic helplines do help callers,
but their impact on suicide rates is not easy to demonstrate. Similar
questions are to be answered in the near future: Do we really reach
people at risk of suicide when offering Internet-based interventions,
and do we help them? Can smartphone applications prevent repeated
suicide attempts? Are lives really saved by using new technologies? Does
using new technologies actually reduce costs and provide better serv-
ices when compared to traditional approaches? The quest for answers to
these questions constitutes a priority research agenda as we increasingly
invest in suicide prevention using new technologies. In the following
section we briefly introduce the main uses of new technologies that are
presented in this book.
Obtaining information on suicide and suicide prevention is now easy
through efficient search engines and helpful links. The Internet has
accelerated the spread of knowledge to the general public, including
general information, warning signs for suicide, risk factors, articles and
videos on suicide and suicide prevention, and treatment recommenda-
tions. Suicide prevention organizations post valuable information for
ix
9781137351685_01_prexviii.indd ix 9/4/2013 3:57:42 PM