Evidence-Based Suicide Prevention: Collective Impact of Engagement with Community Stakeholders

ABSTRACT

Purpose: In response to the rising suicide trend in Hong Kong, the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (“CSRP”) was established in 2002, with the aim to capitalize on the collective impact of research-support practices to prevent suicides.

Method: The CSRP has since become an international knowledge hub that applies a public health approach and innovative strategies to address suicide-related problems at multiple levels.

Results: The CSRP actively engages in research, teaching, and knowledge exchange with community stakeholders. These effort are associated with Hong Kong’s more than 30% reduction in suicide rates between 2003 and 2016.

Discussion: The rationale for and examples of the CSRP’s practices in face of the suicide prevention challenges lay ahead were also discussed.

Conclusion: The outcomes of these practices, which hold great potential for suicide prevention worldwide, have contributed to important academic debates in the field of suicidology.

KEYWORDS:

• public heath approach
• suicide prevention
• empowerment approach
• suicidology
• mental health

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.