Suicide Prevention: How Handwritten Letters Save Lives

A simple handwritten letter may save a suicidal person, study finds.

A pilot study done in Switzerland, and a research published research in PLOS medicine called the Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program finds handwritten letters may help prevent attempted suicide among patients.

There were 120 patients involved in the pilot study, according to Mental Floss. Each of them sees their therapist for three sessions to discuss their suicide attempt. Half of them received letters from their therapist.

These letters were sent once every three months. The notes contained advice on warning signs and staying safe. Aside from that, their therapist also included a few personalized statements.

The letters brought impact to the patients as they feel someone cared for them, Konrad Michel, one of the researchers of this study told Washington Post.

"We believe the caring letters gave patients a feeling that they were cared about and added a personal touch," he said.

Suicide continues to rise in the Unites States of America. Every year, nearly 30,000 Americans commit suicide. CNN reports the suicide rates in the U.S. have risen since 1999 and the age of people who commit suicide ranges between 10 to 74.

Researchers at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics looked at data on cause of death for Americans 10 and older from 1999 to 2014. After gathering the data, the researchers found that in 2014, 13 people out of every 100,000 took their own lives, compared with 10.5 per 100,000 in 1999. The study finds that suicide rate has started increasing every year from 1999 to 2014 among both women and men and in every age group except those 75 and older.

Suicide is difficult to understand according to National Institute of Mental Health, adding that many people who are at high risk of suicide attempt are not getting the proper treatment they need.

In the U.S., suicide is the 10^th leading cause of death.