Accumulating evidence suggests beneficial effects of media stories featuring individuals mastering their suicidal crises, but effects have not been assessed for psychiatric patients.

We randomized n = 172 adult psychiatric patients (n = 172, 97.1% inpatients) to read an educative article featuring a person mastering a suicidal crisis (n = 92) or an unrelated article (n = 80) in a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Questionnaire data were collected before (T1) and after exposure (T2) as well as 1 week later (study end-point, T3). The primary outcome was suicidal ideation as assessed with the Reasons for Living Inventory; secondary outcomes were help-seeking intentions, mood, hopelessness, and stigmatization. Differences between patients with affective versus other diagnoses were explored based on interaction tests.

We found that patients with affective disorders (n = 99) experienced a small-sized reduction of suicidal ideation at 1-week follow up (mean difference to control group [MD] at T3 = −0.17 [95% CI −0.33, −0.03], d = −0.15), whereas patients with nonaffective diagnoses (n = 73) experienced a small-sized increase (T2: MD = 0.24 [95% CI 0.06, 0.42], d = 0.19). Intervention group participants further experienced a nonsustained increase of help-seeking intentions (T2: MD = 0.53 [95% CI 0.11, 0.95], d = 0.19) and a nonsustained deterioration of mood (T2: MD = −0.14 [95% CI −0.27, −0.02], d = −0.17).

This study suggests that patients with affective disorders appear to benefit from media materials featuring mastery of suicidal crises. More research is needed to better understand which patient groups are at possible risk of unintended effects.

Awareness materials featuring ways of coping with suicidal ideation can reduce suicidal ideation, the so-called Papageno effect. All of the previous experimental studies on this subject have been conducted with individuals not at risk of suicide.

To assess effects of suicide awareness materials in a sample of individuals with recent suicidal ideation. Trial registration: German Clinical Trial Registry ID number DRKS00013613.

Adults (n = 266) with recent self-reported suicidal ideation or attempt were randomised to read an educative article featuring a lay individual with personal experience of suicidality (n = 86), a similar article featuring a mental health expert (n = 90), or an unrelated article (n = 90) in a double-blind online randomised controlled trial. Questionnaire data were collected before (T1) and immediately after exposure (T2) as well as 1 week later (study end-point, T3) and analysed with linear mixed models. The primary outcome was suicide risk as assessed using the Survival and Coping Beliefs subscale of the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFLI); secondary outcomes were suicide-prevention knowledge and mood.

There was an immediate beneficial effect on suicide risk in the intervention group exposed to the message delivered by the individual with personal experience (group 1) as compared with the control group that was maintained until the study end-point (study end-point: RFLI score mean difference from baseline within group 1 MD = −0.36 (95% CI −0.66 to −0.06), mean difference compared with control group MD = −0.71 (95% CI −1.27 to −0.14); d = −0.18). The effect was particularly pronounced for individuals with recent suicide attempt (RFLI score at T3, compared with control group: MD = −1.55 (95% CI −2.52 to −0.57); d = −0.23). Participants in this group also showed increased prevention-related knowledge compared with the control group.

Individuals with a recent suicide attempt appear to benefit from a printed narrative of positive coping with suicidal ideation. The intervention materials do not increase short-term suicide risk.