Centre for Mental Health Research at the School of Health & Psychological Sciences, City, University of London welcomes Lisa Marzano to discuss their findings on suicides in public places as part of the research seminar series.
Synopsis
Approximately a third of suicides occur in public places, such as railways, cliffs and bridges. Such deaths have devastating consequences for loved ones, potential witnesses and staff dealing with their aftermath, and substantial financial implications for affected industries (e.g. the cost of suicides to the British Rail Industry is estimated at £60 million annually).
In addition, suicides in public locations can attract considerable media attention, potentially introducing a degree of ‘notoriety’ about specific locations, and thus increasing the risk of imitative behaviour and suicide clusters.
In this seminar, I will present findings of a multi-methodological programme work focusing on suicidal behaviour and life-saving interventions in public places and consider their implications for further research and preventative initiatives.

Speaker: Dr Lisa Marzano
Dr Lisa Marzano is Associate Professor of Psychology and Theme Director for Equity and Improvements in Health and Wellbeing at Middlesex University. Formerly a Research Fellow at the Oxford University Centre for Suicide Research, Dr Marzano has worked in suicide and self-harm prevention for over two decades, drawing on a variety of methods and disciplinary approaches.
She is also Digital Mental Health Editor for Evidence-Based Mental Health and provides expert advice to a range of organizations dedicated to suicide prevention (including Samaritans, the Healthy London Partnership, the National Police Chiefs Council, UK and international Rail Industry stakeholders, and the Security Consortium for the Prevention of Suicide).
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