Abstract: Background: Suicide-related stigma is an under-researched risk factor for suicide and evidence for interventions specifically designed to reduce suicide-related stigma remains limited. Aims: This study aims to understand the consequences of suicide-related stigma and how it can be reduced. Methods: Thirty adults in Scotland with experience of suicidal thoughts/attempt(s) in the past five years were interviewed in person, by phone, or online via Zoom. Participants were aged 18 to 71 years ( M = 28.7 years), 70% were female, and 87% were White. The interviews were analyzed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Results: Two themes captured the impact of suicide-related stigma: negative consequences and no impact. Two themes addressed reducing stigma: education and open conversations. These themes represent that within our sample, suicide-related stigma was associated with poor mental health, and it can act as a barrier to help seeking among those who experience suicidal thoughts and attempt(s). Promoting awareness among the public, including having open conversations surrounding suicide were suggested as potential ways to reduce suicide-related stigma. Promoting awareness among the public was also considered to potentially increase help seeking and support for those with suicidal thoughts and decrease suicidal behavior. Limitations: Individuals experiencing high levels of suicide-related stigma may have chosen not to take part in research of this kind. Given that one author conducted all 30 interviews, interpretative biases as a result of working within the suicide prevention and suicide-related stigma field could have been present. Conclusions: The findings of this study could be considered in the development of policy and prevention strategies related to suicide.
Abstract: Background: Schools are increasingly positioned as platforms for adolescent suicide prevention in low- and middle-income countries, yet institutional cultures may also inhibit disclosure. In Nigerian public secondary schools, punitive discipline, public academic comparison, bullying, and limited counseling provision may interact with stigma and concerns about confidentiality. Aims: To examine how school cultures, confidentiality practices, and institutional trust shape adolescents’ willingness to disclose emotional distress and suicidal behavior in school-linked contexts in Lagos, Nigeria, and to identify conditions for safer school-linked prevention. Method: Four focus group discussions were conducted with 32 participants: adolescents, parents and caregivers, teachers and school staff, and child and adolescent mental health professionals. Participants were recruited through ten public secondary schools and three child and adolescent mental health clinics. Audio-recordings were transcribed, translated where necessary, deidentified, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis informed by socioecological and stigma frameworks. Results: Participants described schools as institutions that could amplify or buffer distress. “Staffroom gist” referred to the informal circulation of students’ private disclosures among staff and was associated with anticipated stigma, loss of trust, and pre-emptive silence. Academic shaming, punitive discipline, bullying, and public comparison were described as risk-amplifying, whereas relationally safe adults, credible confidentiality, external partnerships, and functional welfare pathways were viewed as protective. Participants also identified a gap between staff capacity to recognize distress and their ability to respond or refer effectively. Limitations: The findings derive from a purposively selected urban sample and one focus group per stakeholder category. Group discussions may also have constrained disclosure of highly sensitive experiences. Conclusion: School-linked suicide prevention may depend as much on institutional trust, confidentiality, disciplinary culture, and referral capacity as on staff knowledge and case recognition.
Abstract: Aim: To examine online media reporting of social media influencer (SMI) suicide deaths in India, focusing on socio-demographic characteristics, social media platforms used, reported reasons for suicide, and patterns of media coverage. Method: A Google search using the terms “social media influencer AND suicide AND India” was conducted on April 7, 2026, for the reference period January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2025. Of 258 retrieved links across 26 pages, 106 eligible reports describing 14 unique suicide deaths were included. Multiple reports for the same case were retained to assess reporting patterns. Data were extracted using a standardized template and analyzed descriptively. Results: Fourteen suicide deaths of SMIs were identified across 106 online media reports, most commonly from online newspapers (47.2%). Females accounted for 78.6% of deaths. All deceased SMIs were active on Instagram, with follower counts ranging from 7,900 to 700,000. Depression (42.9%) and cyberbullying (28.6%) were the most frequently cited reasons for suicide in media reports. Photographs of the deceased appeared in 70.8% of reports, predominantly for female influencers, and one death received exceptionally high coverage across 40 reports. Limitations: Reliance on online media reports, use of a single search strategy, and the small number of identified cases may limit completeness, accuracy, and generalizability. Conclusion: Media reporting of suicide deaths among SMIs in India appeared repetitive and frequently included photographs and speculative attributions regarding reasons for suicide. These findings highlight concerns regarding responsible suicide reporting and the need for more systematic research into suicide vulnerability within the digital creator economy.
Abstract: Background: The term serious suicide attempt is widely used in both clinical and research contexts yet lacks a consistent operational definition. It is variably applied to denote medical lethality, suicidal intent, method choice, or clinical outcome, dimensions that are empirically separable and theoretically distinct. Aims: We examine the conceptual assumptions and contemporary use of the term and evaluate its compatibility with contemporary models of suicidal behavior. Method: Drawing on developments in suicide theory, nomenclature, and epidemiological practice, we analyze how the term is used and what assumptions it entails. Results: We argue that serious suicide attempt functions as a global severity label that often combines distinct dimensions into a broad severity construct. This conflation risks inferring intent from outcome and introducing implicit hierarchies of legitimacy. A review of the literature demonstrates substantial heterogeneity in how the term is operationalized, with definitions variably based on medical severity, method lethality, or contextual indicators. Different frameworks tend to integrate these dimensions into composite constructs, which may contribute to conceptual ambiguity. Contemporary models of suicidal behavior and emerging precision-oriented approaches emphasize stratified risk, raising questions regarding the continued use of broad global severity terminology. Conclusions: We propose replacing global severity labels with explicit descriptive terminology specifying medical severity, suicidal intent, method lethality, and contextual factors. Aligning terminology with current models may improve conceptual clarity, clinical reasoning, and the validity of suicide research.
Abstract: Background: Suicide bereavement refers to the grief experienced by individuals who have lost a close contact to suicide. It is often characterized by intense emotional distress, feelings of guilt, stigma, and social isolation, and may increase the risk of mental health problems and suicidal behavior. As research on suicide bereavement and postvention continues to expand globally, there is a growing need to map its development systematically and identify key trends. Aims: This study aimed to describe patterns in published literature on suicide bereavement and postvention through a global bibliometric analysis. Method: Systematic searches in eight databases (Web of Science; Scopus; CINAHL; PsycINFO; MEDLINE; Embase; Emcare; APA PsycArticles) yielded 49,386 references. After deduplication and screening, 1,072 articles published between 1953 and 2025 were included. Eligible peer-reviewed publications included empirical research, evidence syntheses (systematic reviews, scoping reviews, meta-analyses) and nonempirical publications (such as opinion pieces, and personal experiences). There were no restrictions on language, location, or year of publication. Results: The 1,072 eligible publications demonstrated a steady increase in suicide bereavement/postvention publications annually. 95% of publications were by first authors from high-income countries, while 1.3% of first authors were from lower-middle-income and low-income countries. Most studies were empirical and followed a quantitative or qualitative design, primarily cross-sectional, increasing over the years, while nonempirical publications declined. We identified few longitudinal or interventional studies. Populations sampled most frequently were working-age adults, with few studies focused on older adults. Limitations: The results provide little information about the methodological quality of the included studies. Some full texts could not be found and were unavailable for data extraction. Conclusion: The research gaps identified suggest that future studies should focus on underrepresented populations as well as on high-quality intervention studies to address adverse outcomes among suicide loss survivors.
