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Internet Use Related to Suicidal Thoughts and Help-Seeking – Preliminary Results of a Study with Depressive Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

V. Voros ,
Z. Szabo ,
E. Torma ,
A. Nagy ,
J. Fekete ,
T. Tényi ,
S. Fekete  and
P. Osvath
V. Voros*
Affiliation:
University of Pécs, Department Of Psychiatry And Psychotherapy, Pécs, Hungary
Z. Szabo
Affiliation:
University of Pécs, Department Of Psychiatry And Psychotherapy, Pécs, Hungary
E. Torma
Affiliation:
University of Pécs, Department Of Psychiatry And Psychotherapy, Pécs, Hungary
A. Nagy
Affiliation:
University of Pécs, Department Of Psychiatry And Psychotherapy, Pécs, Hungary
J. Fekete
Affiliation:
University of Pécs, Department Of Psychiatry And Psychotherapy, Pécs, Hungary
T. Tényi
Affiliation:
University of Pécs, Department Of Psychiatry And Psychotherapy, Pécs, Hungary
S. Fekete
Affiliation:
University of Pécs, Department Of Psychiatry And Psychotherapy, Pécs, Hungary
P. Osvath
Affiliation:
University of Pécs, Department Of Psychiatry And Psychotherapy, Pécs, Hungary
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Suicide-related Internet use is becoming more common, and many research study its potential risks and benefits.

Objectives

Data on suicidal thoughts and Internet use of patients with depressive disorders were collected to assess their suicide-related Internet use and its relation to help-seeking preferences.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were completed to assess Internet use patterns and suicidal thoughts among patients treated with depressive disorders, and preferred forms of help-seeking were also examined.

Results

113 patients completed the interviews, most of them spend more hours a day using the Internet. More than 80% came across suicide-related contents while browsing, a quarter reported specific search for suicidal contents. In case of suicidal thoughts, three-quarters of depressed patients would seek help from a mental health professional, two-thirds from their partners, half from friends, and nearly one-third from parents, other relatives or from GPs. Most patients would prefer offline (personal) help for their psychological problems and suicidal thoughts, online methods were less preferred, with only one-fifth choosing these options. However, a third of them also considered it probable that they would not ask anyone for help.

Conclusions

Despite of the frequent use of the Internet, online help-seeking is less common in depressive patients. However, in the times of pandemic, online help facilities may provide an opportunity to prevent suicidal behavior for those, who have suicidal thoughts and use the Internet regularly, especially searching for suicide-related contents. In the future, further research is needed to develop more effective online suicide prevention programs and applications.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

suicidal thoughtshelp-seekingInternet usesuicide prevention
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 65 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 30th European Congress of Psychiatry , June 2022 , pp. S835
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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