113 Suicide Prevention
60,000 suicide attempts per year
165 suicide attempts per day
5 persons dying daily from suicide
Where do we see opportunity for improvement?
Although much is already being done in the area of suicide prevention, we see that it remains difficult for organisations and regions to make a truly structural impact. Prevention is complex, requires long-term commitment, and often comes on top of an already full agenda with other urgent issues. Managers and policymakers frequently recognise questions such as:
- Can my organization or region do better?
- Where do I start?
- How do I get colleagues and board to go along?
Suicide remains surrounded by stigma and uncertainty about how to act. Without a clear direction, a shared language, and sufficient insight into what actually works, prevention efforts tend to rely on isolated, fragmented initiatives. Yet research shows that the number of suicides among clients can decrease further when organisations and regions address the issue together and in a focused way. Suicide prevention is most effective when multiple initiatives are implemented that reinforce one another and collectively lead to stronger prevention.
What is needed?
Suicide prevention is effective when initiatives are implemented in a coordinated way. That means:
- A clear vision and direction: what do we mean by effective suicide prevention, and what are we aiming to achieve
- Insight into the current situation: where do we stand as an organisation or region, and where are the concrete opportunities for improvement?
- A suitable change strategy: which approach will help embed this theme sustainably, given our context, culture, and workload
- A strong local or organisation-wide network: people in signalling roles need to know each other, understand what to do, and work together to form a safety net.
Our approach
EHdK works in partnership with 113 Suicide Prevention — in close coordination with MIND, Aurora, the Suicide Prevention Centre, and other organisations representing relatives and people with lived experience — to strengthen efforts at both national and regional levels. As part of this, learning programmes have been developed for:
- Bestuurders en directeuren in de zorg, gericht op suïcidepreventie binnen organisaties;
- Policy officers and project leaders from municipalities and public health services (GGDs), focused on local approaches and preparation for the new legislation.
- Both learning programmes support the development of a concrete action plan, an activated network, and the sustainable embedding of suicide prevention. Our guidance consists of the following steps, tailored to the specific organisation or region: inventory using interactive games
- Using a game developed by EHdK (the ‘star model’), we map out the current situation and open up discussion on what ‘effective suicide prevention’ means in your specific context.
- Based on the inventory, we use the ‘change game’ to jointly determine which change strategy is needed to take the next step. Not a one-size-fits-all solution, but an approach tailored to your organisation, region, and leadership style.
- EHdK supports in creating support, involving supporters and securing suicide prevention in policy, work processes and cooperation – so that it is not temporary, but becomes a permanent part of how you work.
Did you know that our games are also available separately, possibly including a one-time consultation on how to properly implement the games?
Current situation
Since 2022, we have facilitated seven suicide prevention learning programmes for mental health and youth care institutions. In total, more than 55 executives and directors have taken part. Several new programmes are scheduled for the coming year. You can find more information and register for one of the learning programmes via this link.
More?
Are you also inspired? Would you like more information about our learning programmes and games? Get in touch with our colleague Teun Soederhuizen.