Public awareness campaigns have a potential of reaching and influencing people at risk of suicide and their families, friends or colleagues to reduce stigma and myths about suicide and suicidal people, convey information on available interventions and promote help-seeking.
These campaigns are carried out in tandem with other local interventions, i.e., in a multi-level approach.
Public awareness campaigns
NSSF has been given the task of developing and coordinating regional public awareness campaigns in Norway for the duration of the Norwegian Government's National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (2020-2025). Through mass media campaigns directed at the general public we aim to raise awareness about suicide and related mental health problems.
In addition, we provide information to individuals at risk for suicide on where to seek help. Moreover, we aim to reduce myths about suicide, influence attitudes, and offer information on how to give and receive help from others. Furthermore, we wish to increase confidence in family members and friends of people at suicide risk in their own ability to provide help.
Our campaigns are funded by the Norwegian Directorate of Health, and are carried out region by region in cooperation with Regional Health Trusts (RHF) and the five regional resource centres for suicide prevention (RVTS).
We collect survey data from representative samples of the regional populations both before and after the public information campaigns. This method enables us to identify predictors of help-seeking and to identify subgroups that are unwilling or unable to seek help when in a suicide crisis. Understanding attitudes of non-help-seekers is pivotal for designing more effective interventions.
Moreover, we are constantly improving our public campaign material through identification of effective ingredients, such as types of messages and dissemination channels.
Multi-level interventions
Previous studies have shown that public awareness campaigns on suicide are more effective when they have been conducted as part of a series of simultaneous interventions in the same geographical area; so-called multilevel interventions (Salzman et al., 2016: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(16)30030-X/fulltext).
Other possible levels are awareness trainings for local gatekeepers (pharmacists, teachers, clergy, police officers etc.) who often either encounter people at suicide risk or with mental illness, or participate in training courses in treatment of depression for local GPs or targeted efforts to detect and reduce suicide risk in patients receiving specialist treatment for mental illness.
This multi-level approach was developed in Germany by Hegerl et al. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23438891/) and disseminated internationally through the European Alliance Against Depression (EAAD). The NSSF has been a member of EAAD since 2016.
Main projects on this topic
Effect of Central Norway regional campaign
We are analysing the responses from population surveys pre and post a public awareness campaign on suicide, mental health literacy and willingness to seek help for own suicide thoughts, as well as helping others in suicide crisis. Responses from the population at large as well as demographic subgroups at higher risk for suicide have been analysed.
The Western Norway regional campaign
The pre-campaign survey items are analysed in order to align with the “Theory of planned behavior” framework (Ajzen, 1991 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T). Theory driven research will help us understand and predict help-seeking activities for mental health problems or suicide thoughts. In addition, the effect of this regional campaign will be analysed in the same way as for the Central Norway campaign.
Regional campaigns in Southern, Northern, and Eastern Norway
These are being planned, with a particular emphasis on experiences with mental ill health and help-seeking in the population.
Education and training courses
These are for local health care workers, community gatekeepers, and non-profit mental health organisations and are carried out continuously.
Group members
• Lars Mehlum (group leader)
• Egil Haga
• Hanne Sofie Wernø Nilsson
• Hanne Christine Mohn
International collaborators
• Professor Jane Pirkis, University of Melbourne
• Professor Ulrich Hegerl, Goethe University Frankfurt
Publications
Nilsson HSW, Haga E, Mehlum L. (2022). Psykiske plager under COVID-19-pandemien i Norge: Kjønns-, alders- og sosioøkonomiske forskjeller. Suicidologi 27, 22-45.
Haga E, Nilsson HSW, Gjernes S, Legard I. (2020). Internettbaserte selvhjelpsverktøy mot depresjon: Utfordringer og strategier ved implementering.. Suicidologi 25, 8-14.
Nilsson HSW, Haga E, Mork E, Qin P. (2019). Opplæring av Røde Kors-frivillige i holdninger, kunnskap og ferdigheter i møte med personer i selvmordsfare. Suicidologi 24, 28-38.