Description

The SearchLight Study assesses the use of online search-engine behaviour as an immediate method of suicide risk detection.

Background/History

According to the CDC, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US. Despite numerous attempts to refine the detection and prevention of suicidal behaviour (death by suicide and suicide attempts), either through better diagnostic methods or the integration of detection and early prevention services in settings such as primary care medicine, the rates of suicidal ideation and behaviour continue to climb. Longer-term risk factors for suicide have been intensively studied, with prediction being only slightly above chance within a recent meta-analysis.

Over 50 years of research has shown limited success in preventing suicide. Perhaps one of the reasons is a focus on identifying “who” is at risk but not “when” they are at the highest risk of self-harm. A potential solution to this problem is to develop methods for identifying warning signs through the use of personalized digital traces from internet searches.

Purpose

The searchlight study

(BLAME ABHI - to put the project details in, since the public page is live, I will mostly use that text )

Abhi, I have added from the page! - Aditi

Description:

The SearchLight Study aims to gather the internal thoughts and state of mind of an individual at risk by studying their personal online seeking behaviorbehaviour. The goal is to learn real-world risk factors of self-harm by analyzing online web searches that were made during a prior suicide attempt.

Background/History

Any information that can help understand the project better

Past research in the field that you’re building upon

Research that inspired you to start this project

Any additional information that can help show progress or movement

Purpose

Over 50 years of research has shown limited success in preventing suicide. Perhaps one of the reasons is a focus on identifying “who” is at risk but not “when” they are at the highest risk of self-harm.

Benefits

How will the project be beneficial and to whom?

The possible applications of the outcome of your project

How

How is the project being carried out? What methods are you using?

Further reading

https://www.jmir.org/2021/5/e27918/

Additional information

Benefits

This study allows us to better understand real-world risk factors of suicide and when someone may be at a higher risk.

How

In this study, participants who made a suicide attempt in the past year, those who have made an attempt but over a year ago, and those who have thoughts of suicide but never attempted will complete gold-standard research assessments of suicidal thoughts and behaviour and provide Google Take-Out Search and YouTube data. Using a case-crossover design, we will identify and evaluate proximal risk factors in search-engine behaviour; patterns that change at the time of suicidal behaviour or increases in suicidal ideation.

Further reading

Perceived Utility and Characterization of Personal Google Search Histories to Detect Data Patterns Proximal to a Suicide Attempt in Individuals Who Previously Attempted Suicide: Pilot Cohort StudyAnything that you think is relevant that doesn’t fit under any of the sections above.

Resource Stack

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