Not only is the IASP 33rd World Congress held in Vienna, the city I call home, but it is also my first time attending, making the conference particularly meaningful to me. It is therefore a great pleasure to share my impressions of the second day, which featured outstanding presentations and truly remarkable speakers.
The day began with a very interesting plenary session focused on suicide prevention in low-and-middle-income countries (LMIC). The first speaker gave a powerful talk on the urgent global public health challenge of self-harm and suicide in LMIC. This was followed by an insightful presentation on suicide-protective factors in LMIC, with attention to cultural, religious, and political contexts, and comparisons to high-income countries. The last speaker discussed economic interventions for the prevention of mental health problems and suicide, illustrated by a case study from Brazil. The take-away message was clear: what is needed are not only more suicide prevention interventions but also ones that are context-specific and tailored to local realities.
Later in the morning, I attended the Special Interest Group “Media & Suicide” Symposium, which focused on practical and policy-related developments in media monitoring and media guidelines. The Symposium offered valuable insights into research from several countries aimed at improving suicide media reporting. What I found especially interesting was the meta-analysis examining the impact of media guidelines on suicide reporting, showing both effective elements and areas that require further improvement.
Written by
Madeleine Jaeger, MSc
Public Mental Health Research Unit.
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine. Center for Public Health.
Medical University of Vienna.
Around noon, I participated in an oral session on trends, risk, and protective factors related to self-harm and suicide among children and adolescents. The session, which included findings from several countries, highlighted the rising rates of self-harm among young people. What I found particularly concerning was the increase in self-harm among younger age groups.
During the lunch break, I took some time to explore the poster presentations and enjoyed a few moments of sunshine outside. It was also a great opportunity to meet new faces and engage in interesting conversations. The afternoon was also filled with very insightful presentations as well as enjoyable encounters with other researchers.
The highlight of my day followed in the evening: the Pecha Kucha Event at the Social Hub, Vienna. I had the opportunity to present my research on “Developing and producing a short film on suicide – perspectives from filmmakers”. What makes the Pecha Kucha format so challenging is that you present 20 slides using only images, with just 20 seconds to talk about each slide. I was really impressed by all the presenters and enjoyed getting insights into their research in such a creative and engaging way. To my great surprise, I was selected as the winner by the judges, and was especially happy to share the moment with Charlie Cooper, who won the People’s Choice Award. As a prize, I got the chance to attend the next IASP conference in 2027, which I am already eagerly looking forward to.
Wednesday at the IASP World Congress in Vienna was an enriching day for me, offering a broad spectrum of topics around suicide prevention and great talks with colleagues. I’m looking forward to hearing more inspiring ideas and visions for suicide prevention.
