DIGITAL INNOVATIONS IN SUICIDE PREVENTION: TOWARD A PARADIGM SHIFT

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Mental Health Technology
• Suicide Prevention

Background:

• Current suicide prevention strategies have limited effectiveness, especially in early detection, care continuity, and user engagement.
• Digital technologies offer scalable, personalized interventions for timely suicide prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review emerging digital solutions for suicide prevention from 2015-2025.
• To identify promising technologies and challenges in digital suicide prevention.

Main Methods:

• Structured literature search across PubMed, Medline, and Google Scholar (2015-2025).
• Narrative review of identified digital tools.

Main Results:

• Five categories of digital tools identified: mobile apps, empathic chatbots, machine learning risk prediction, passive sensing with ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and simulations/embodied conversational agents (ECAs).
• Blended care models integrating digital tools with clinician interventions show enhanced adherence, therapeutic alliance, and outcomes.
• Key challenges include algorithm transparency, user dependency, and ethical crisis management.

Conclusions:

• Digital technologies can significantly enhance suicide risk identification, user engagement, and care continuity.
• A paradigm shift towards proactive, data-driven, human-centered care is advocated.
• Co-designed development, rigorous validation, and tailored governance are crucial for safe and effective implementation.