Conference Agenda

Background

Although there is growing awareness of how important lived experience is for shaping suicide prevention policies and practices, the voices of people who have thought about or attempted suicide on the railways are rarely included in analyses on reducing railway suicides. This study set out to understand, from perspectives of those with lived experience, which approaches work or do not work in this context, and the reasons behind their effectiveness.

Methods

In this multi-method study, we conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 34 people who had either attempted or considered suicide on the railways. Additionally, we carried out an online survey exploring lived experiences of suicidality at rail locations (N = 269). We also performed an online ethnography by examining content about train or rail suicide across various online platforms, including 'pro-choice' forums and Reddit, analysing 254 posts and 1,228 related comments.

Results

Lived experience accounts identified and critiqued railway suicide prevention measures. These included challenging cultural views of railway suicide, environmental changes to limit access or create a safer atmosphere, and increasing help-seeking and third-party interventions. An especially important finding was the importance of considering what works, or does not, for people at different stages of their suicidal crisis.

Conclusions

The perspectives of individuals with lived experience, though not uniform, offer valuable insights into the benefits and potential unintended outcomes of various initiatives aimed at preventing suicides on the railways. These findings underscore the importance of implementing comprehensive suicide prevention strategies that address multiple stages of the suicidal process.

Introduction

Suicides on railway systems remain a significant concern world-wide. Knowing characteristics and patterns of at-risk individuals will help design preventative efforts. The aim of this study was to examine behavioural, psychological, and contextual characteristics of individuals who died by suicide at railway stations in Denmark using multiple data sources.

Method:

Data on all individuals who died by suicide at select railway stations during 2017-2024 were obtained via reports and witness statements from the Danish police and incident reports from the Danish State Railways and Rail Net Denmark. Using a pre-defined data sheet, information on behavioural indicators (e.g., hesitation, waiting times, unusual actions), psychological indicators (e.g., signs of ambivalence, emotional state, possible mental health concerns), and contextual factors (e.g., date, time, gender and presence of witnesses) were collected and summarized.

Results:

A total of 45 railway suicides were recorded on the included railway stations. We found that more incidents occurred in the begin of the week, spring and autumn, and during daylight hours. Most individuals were males (67%). The mean age was 43 years. In about half of all incidents, there were witnesses to the event, for instance other passengers. Mostly, the incident involved a passing train (75%), but also trains, which stopped at the station (25%). Specific behaviors included jumping in front of the train (32%), positioning on the tracks (13%) and wandering along the track (34%).

Conclusion:

We noticed identifiable behaviours ahead of railway suicides in Denmark. Most incidents involved men and occurred during daylight hours. Prolonged presence on the platform, wandering near the tracks were observed relatively often among those who died by suicide at railway stations. These findings underscore the potential for earlier detection and intervention.

Railway suicides are a global concern with wide-ranging social and economic implications. Although platform screen doors are highly effective in reducing railway suicides, their implementation is often limited by cost and feasibility constraints, highlighting the need for alternative interventions. Blue light-emitting diode (B-LED) armatures have been associated with reductions in railway suicides, but the evidence base is limited, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Nevertheless, interest in their practical application is growing, underscoring the need for further investigation. To address this gap, we are conducting three studies across experimental and real-world settings to examine the psychological, emotional, and behavioural effects of B-LEDs in order to elucidate potential mechanisms through which they may reduce suicide. This approach will ideally offer indirect evidence for their potential effectiveness in railway suicide prevention. Two of these studies are currently underway, and preliminary results will be presented at the conference.

Background: Previous research showed that exposure to the post-suicide railway announcement collision with a person yielded suicide associations and negative emotions. In 2021, the Dutch Railways implemented a new announcement – collision – but its impact has not yet been tested.

Aims: In this follow-up study we investigate the impact of this new announcement compared to the previous used announcement collision with a person and to emergency services and collision with an animal (control announcement). Suicide-related associations, negative and positive emotions, and announcement appreciation were compared.

Method: Participants were recruited from the Dutch railway customer panel. A randomized controlled online experiment was conducted in which participants (N = 346) were exposed to one of eight conditions varying across two factors: announcement and personal relevance of the delay.

Results: Collision with a person had the highest likelihood of triggering suicide-related associations. It also yielded the highest degree of empathy towards railway staff, followed by collision. Personally relevant delays yielded stronger negative emotions than nonrelevant ones but more willingness to help other passengers. Emergency services yielded significantly lower anger about the delay compared to collision with a person in the not personally relevant condition. Announcement appreciation was significantly higher after exposure to collision with a person but only when the delay was personally relevant. Limitations: The extent to which the scenarios used in the online experiment reflect real-life situations may be limited.

Conclusion: From the perspective of choice of post-suicide railway delay announcement and suicide prevention on railways, collision or emergency services are more appropriate than collision with a person delay announcement.