By Tiago Zortea. In 2002, an important epidemiological study on the global perspective on suicide was published by Bertolote and Fleischmann [1]. Among the interesting data presented, a graph on the differences of suicide rates according to religion affiliation was included (see graph below). From a quick look at the graph, it would seem that… Continue reading Is religion protective against suicidal behaviour for LGBT individuals?
By Tiago Zortea. The World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) 2017 campaign theme is “Take a minute, change a life”. You might wonder if this is really possible, since suicidal thoughts and behaviours are such complex phenomena to be understood. Indeed, research has shown that suicidal thoughts and behaviours are associated with feelings of entrapment [1]… Continue reading Can a life be changed with a minute?: Suicide prevention, complexity and change
Institution: Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, UK. Mentor team: Professor David Gunnell, Professor Helen Lambert, and Professor Chris Metcalfe. Position: ESRC Global Challenges Research Fund Postdoctoral Fellow. Current research: I am a mental health epidemiologist with an interest in life course risk factors for suicide and self-harm. My work has explored the social determinants… Continue reading Duleeka (Dee) Knipe
By Kirsten Russell. Undertaking a PhD provides an invaluable opportunity to train and develop as an independent researcher. However, PhDs can also be challenging and it is easy to abandon academic self-care in the face of heavy workloads and imminent deadlines. Sleep is often the first thing we sacrifice, with many seeing it as a… Continue reading Is prioritising sleep the first step in academic self-care? Tips for getting a good night’s sleep during postgraduate study
By Kirsten Russell. Suicide continues to be a major public health concern worldwide, and is one of the leading causes of death in young people aged 15-24 (World Health Organisation, 2014). University students represent a particularly high risk group for the development of suicidal thoughts and behaviours. A survey conducted by NUS in 2013 highlighted… Continue reading The importance of starting a conversation about suicide: Advice for supporting postgraduate peers
Institution: University of Huddersfield, UK. Position: Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Pharmacist. Current research: I study trends and associations in suicide and self-harm using large health care datasets, which contain thousands of anonymised patient records. My PhD explored the risk of self-harm and suicide in people with epilepsy, and the role of antiepileptic drugs. Research… Continue reading Hayley Gorton
By Donna Littlewood. A record-breaking 1400 people attended the 50th annual conference of the American Association of Suicidology in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference successfully attracts a diverse range of delegates, including researchers, clinicians, crisis centre volunteers, people bereaved by suicide, and people with lived experience of suicide. In coming together with the common goal… Continue reading Conference Review: American Association of Suicidology 50th Annual Conference
By Olivia Kirtley. Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. Last week the World Health Organization (WHO) released the first ever World Suicide Report, showing that around 800,000 people die by suicide each year. In fact, around the world, one person will die by suicide every 40 seconds, which means in the time it’s taken me… Continue reading Suicide Prevention: We Need Everyone
By Olivia Kirtley. As a child, I grew up watching the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on TV and feeling a tremendous sense of excitement as these famous scientists submerged PhD students in ice water baths, cuddled lemurs and dissected brains, all in the name of public engagement with science. During my PhD, I’ve been on… Continue reading We need to talk about *******: Public engagement for “taboo” topics
By Olivia Kirtley. It is estimated that more than 800,000 individuals die globally each year as a result of suicide and for those aged 15-29 years old, suicide is the second leading worldwide cause of death after road traffic accidents 1. But we don’t whisper about car accidents, or exchange sideways glances when someone mentions… Continue reading The S Word: Talking About Suicide
By Olivia Kirtley. Today is World Suicide Prevention Day and around the world people are raising awareness of suicide prevention. The theme for this year is ‘reaching out, saving lives’. But what is the reach of suicide, and what does reaching out do? The Reach Every year, more than 800,000 people die by suicide around… Continue reading The Reach and Reaching Out of Suicide
By Laura Hemming. This blog is about my journey and identity as a researcher in an organisation that emphasises the importance of placing lived experience at the heart of mental health research. My journey as a researcher began a little over a year and a half ago when I was employed by the McPin Foundation… Continue reading Who are the ‘Experts by Experience’ in Mental Health Research? – A personal reflection
By Sarah Stanford. It's time. Two words that can spark excitement or relief. It's time to finish work. It's time for the party to start. It's time to get a coffee. It's time to take off your skinny jeans. But in this instance, these two words did not spark excitement. Instead, my heart felt a… Continue reading New to research using high school samples? Three things that helped me
Institution: Macquarie University, Australia Position: Honorary Postdoctoral Associate Current research: Assisting schools to identify and respond to self-harm; developing parent and staff education programs. Research interests: Preventing and responding to self-harm in community settings Recent publications: Stanford, S., Jones, M.P. & Hudson, J.L. (2017). Appreciating complexity in adolescent self-harm risk factors: Psychological profiling in a… Continue reading Sarah Stanford
Institution: Oxford Institute of Clinical Psychology Training and Research, University of Oxford, England. Supervisory team: Prof Paul Salkovskis, Dr Louise Johns, and Prof Craig Steel. Position: Trainee Clinical Psychologist; Hon. Postdoctoral Researcher (SBRL; University of Glasgow). Current research: Early and current determinats of vulnerability for suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Research interests: Vulnerability for suicidal thoughts… Continue reading Tiago C. Zortea
Institution: University of Birmingham (Institute of Mental Health, School of Psychology) and University of Nottingham (Self-Harm Research Group, School of Psychology), England. Supervisory team: Dr Maria Michail, Prof Jon Arcelus, Prof Ellen Townsend. Position: PhD Student. Current research: My PhD explores internalised stigma and shame within LGBTQ+ young people and this influence on their suicide… Continue reading A. Jess Williams
Institutions: Ghent University, University Centre for Nursing and Midwifery, Ghent, Belgium Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO), Brussels, Belgium. Supervisory team: Prof. dr. Sofie Verhaeghe, Prof. dr. Dimitri Beeckman Position: PhD student Current research: My PhD research aims (1) to develop a conceptual evidence-base of nurses’ perceptions on their role in and contributions to the care for individuals experiencing… Continue reading Joeri Vandewalle
Institution: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Section Clinical Psychology; VU Medical Centre, Department of Psychiatry Supervisory team: I mainly work with Professor Heleen Riper (VU Amsterdam), Professor Jan H Smit (VU Medical Centre) and professor Ad Kerkhof (VU Amsterdam) Position: Postdoc (tenured) Current research: Smartphone-based monitoring of psychological processes among suicidal patients in mental health care Research… Continue reading Wouter van Ballegooijen
Institution: University of Strathclyde, Scotland Supervisory team: Dr Susan Rasmussen & Dr Simon Hunter Position: PhD Student Current research: Examining sleep problems and self-harm in young people. Research interests: The influence of sleep on health and wellbeing across the lifespan Stigma associated with mental health Adolescent wellbeing Resilience/protective factors Key publications: Russell, K. (In press).… Continue reading Kirsten Russell
Institution: University of Nottingham, UK (Self-Harm Research Group) Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate Current research: I am broadly interested in understanding how people respond to, and deal with, the difficult things that they face in their lives. My doctoral work explored whether these transdiagnostic dynamics can help us to understand change in self-harm thoughts and behaviours.… Continue reading Emma Nielsen
netecr.org 