Community and Individual Approach to the Prevention of Suicide Risk in Adolescence

Suicide is a global phenomenon that can occur at any time in life. In the case of adolescents and young people, suicide is a public health problem, as according to WHO data it is the second leading cause of death among the population aged 15 to 29. The research has highlighted the importance of the prevention of youth suicide and the importance of adults who are part of the lives of these young people know the possible warning signs. There are also empirical evidence-based preventive interventions that can be carried out in different contexts to prevent both suicide and suicide attempts. Recently, the Pan American Health Organization (2018) has published a guide to promote adolescent health that calls for structural, environmental, institutional, community, interpersonal and individual measures to prevent adolescent suicides. This session will address the main risk factors contained in the literature and the recommendations for discussing suicide with young people, as well as the community interventions that can be carried out in school settings, whose influence is particularly important on the health and well-being of adolescents. At the individual level and in health care settings, we will emphasize the importance of a comprehensive assessment of suicidal behavior and develop a brief intervention based on empirical evidence to reduce the risk of suicide in this population.

Susana Al-Halabí is Professor of the Department of Psychology at the University of Oviedo, University Specialist in Third Generation Therapies and is qualified as a professional in General Health Psychology. She finished her doctoral studies in Psychology in 2007 with a thesis focused on the prevention of drug use in young people. Subsequently, she obtained a Doctorate Researcher position at the Centre for Biomedical Research in the Mental Health Network (CIBERSAM). She has been accredited as a postdoctoral researcher by the ISCIII (Instituto de Salud de Carlos III) and has participated in numerous national projects and clinical trials. At European level, she has been part of several research projects funded by the European Commission on suicide prevention in adolescents. She has been visiting professor at the National Suicide Research Foundation in Ireland, and at the Center for Practice Innovations (Suicide Prevention) at Columbia University (USA) within the Fulbright Program for young researchers. She is Associate Editor of two JCR scientific journals and member of the Governing Board of the Official Psychologists’ Association of the Princedom of Asturias.