Report from the WPA Section on Suicidology: recent advances and activities

Suicide remains a major global public health concern, claiming more than 700,000 lives annually. The interdisciplinary field of suicidology seeks to understand the multifactorial nature of suicidal behavior – considering its clinical, psychological, sociological and biological components – and to translate this knowledge into effective prevention strategies. The WPA Section on Suicidology has been actively engaged in advancing this multidimensional perspective, contributing through professional education, research and international collaboration since the early 2000s. Recent years have witnessed significant advances across multiple domains of research and practice on suicide prevention, spanning from novel therapeutic interventions, through the uptake of system-level approaches, to digital innovations. Among these developments, pharmacological advances, particularly the development of rapid-acting agents such as ketamine and esketamine, have opened new avenues for acute intervention in suicide prevention. These treatments show promise in reducing suicidal ideation among individuals with major depression, and members of our Section have contributed to the growing evidence base. However, the lack of evidence on longer-term effects requires rigorous follow-up1. At the same time, digital innovation is reshaping the field, with mobile apps, telepsychiatry platforms, and online interventions expanding access to care. The Section contributed to a special issue of the Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, which discussed both the opportunities and challenges of digital tools in suicide prevention2. Digital interventions have also been incorporated into the World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), aimed at scaling up services in low- and middle-income countries, where more than 70% of suicides occur. Our Section supported the development of the most recent mhGAP Intervention Guide, reviewing the evidence on digital interventions for the self-management of suicidality. While digital solutions offer clear advantages, such as increasing accessibility, reducing barriers to care, and providing anonymity, they raise important concerns regarding data privacy, inclusivity and equity, given their dependence on infrastructure and digital literacy. They show promise in managing suicidal ideation; however, evidence remains insufficient to establish their effectiveness in reducing suicide attempts and deaths, or to confirm safety as stand-alone interventions, particularly in resource-limited settings. In parallel, digitalization is shaping the lives of young people and is relevant to their mental health. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among children and adolescents worldwide, and many spend a significant portion of their day in front of screens – a habit linked to developmental changes and psychological outcomes. Yet, the rigorous evaluation of online interventions for youth is lagging behind, compared to the established school-based awareness and skill training programs, or interventions delivered in clinical and community settings3. Suicide among youth and relevant interventions need our attention as, although rates vary across regions, several countries have reported recent increases, particularly among teenage girls and marginalized groups, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) youth. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the urgency of monitoring and adapting suicide preventive strategies globally, as many countries reported shifts in rates during and following this period of intensified mental health strain4. Sustained, systematic surveillance is essential not only for understanding the impact of global crises and preventive efforts, but also for identifying long-term patterns that affect diverse populations. To advance this effort, a newly established international collaboration – with active involvement of members of our Section – is analyzing large-scale epidemiological data from organizations such as the WHO and the United Nations. By examining suicide trends globally over past decades, and considering factors such as the human development index5, the project seeks to identify both shared and region-specific risk factors. This evidence base will be critical for guiding the development of targeted, data-driven prevention strategies worldwide. A notable shift in recent years has been the reconsideration of suicide risk assessment. For decades, clinicians relied on relatively static risk factors and predictive models. To this aim, enthusiasm surrounded artificial intelligence and machine learning, with hopes that larger and more diverse datasets would improve prediction. Yet, prediction accuracy has barely improved over the last 50 years6. While challenges persist, assessment of suicidality remains central to prevention and clinical practice, and our Section is committed to summarizing the evidence and providing guidance for professionals, including through dedicated courses under the umbrella of multiple World Congresses of Psychiatry. Closely related to this, system-level strategies have gained prominence. Structured care models such as Zero Suicide and brief contact interventions (BCIs) offer scalable solutions to improve care that do not depend on risk categorization. By reaching a broader share of the population, these approaches deliver low-intensity, low-cost and proactive support. Members of our Section are involved in the piloting of BCIs, and such approaches were discussed extensively during the European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behavior (Rome, 2024) and the Swedish Suicide Research Conference (Stockholm, 2025). Both conferences were organized with active involvement of Section members, who also curated plenary sessions and symposia that advanced international dialogue and set the agenda for future directions in suicide prevention. On a similar note, the WPA’s Brief Motivational Intervention and Long-term Regular Follow-up Contact Program (BIC) was developed in collaboration with Section members and launched in 2021. Rooted in the SUPRE-MISS initiative7, this program integrates brief motivational sessions with sustained follow-up, and has shown effectiveness in reducing suicide rates. BIC is currently active in the US, Brazil, India and Sweden, and open for additional centers to join. Beyond health care, multi-sectorial and national strategies remain important and are now supported by WHO’s “LIVE LIFE” guidelines. These provide a framework for population-level suicide reduction through comprehensive measures such as means restriction, responsible media reporting, and enhanced access to mental health services8. In a broader context, our Section has emphasized the cultural embeddedness of suicidal behavior. In collaboration with the WPA Section on Cultural Psychiatry, we organized an inter-sectional symposium at the 23rd World Congress of Psychiatry (Vienna, 2023) and hybrid workshops under the umbrella of a new international network focused on “transcultural suicidology”. These initiatives highlighted the need for culturally adapted interventions and the influence of sociocultural contexts on risk and resilience. They also strengthened the Section’s advocacy for inclusive prevention strategies and the call for more research on suicide among marginalized populations. This is particularly urgent given the rising number of forcibly displaced people worldwide – over 123 million by the end of 2024 – among whom high-quality suicide research remains scarce. The network has emphasized that, in the 21st century, people increasingly live across borders – whether by choice or by being displaced – and that monitoring, health care, and suicide prevention strategies must adapt accordingly. The commitment to “Mental Health for All” and suicide prevention are further reflected in the WPA Action Plan 2023-20269, 10, led by WPA President D. Wasserman, who is herself an active member of our Section. The WPA Section on Suicidology has recently hosted a section symposium, a state-of-the-art symposium and a course at the 25th World Congress of Psychiatry in Prague, focusing on suicide risk assessment, scalable interventions and cultural considerations. Through its integrated activities, the Section continues to influence the future of suicide prevention with evidence-based, interdisciplinary, and globally relevant approaches.