Suicidal Behaviour Research Lab

19/12/2025

A wee seasonal gift 🎄

Here’s a look back at the first half of Season 4 of the MQ podcast Open Mind, hosted by Rory O’Connor, which covers all things mental health research.

Across the episodes, the guests spanned adolescent mental health, mindfulness, cognitive neuroscience, su***de prevention, inequalities and mental health care, lived and living experience and research priorities for mental health science.

Great line-up of guests: Maria Loades, Willem Kuyken, Nav Kapur, Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Kamaldeep Bhui, Jordan Lees, Brian Dow, Mariana Bolivar, and Aphra Tulip-Briggs

And the amazing producer: Craig Perryman

Why not check out the compilation?

Season 4 of MQ Open Mind is supported by Tiberone Technologies.

Season 4 of Open Mind has been an incredible journey, and we want to thank you for tuning in to the first half of the series. We hope it offered new insights...

17/12/2025

17/12/2025

🆕 Partners advance SAFXR: a new immersive approach to su***de prevention training and workforce mental health

We are delighted to be involved in SAFXR (Safety Planning for Su***de Prevention XR).

SAFXR is an innovative immersive learning solution that aims to transform how professionals respond to people experiencing suicidal thoughts, while also supporting their own mental health and resilience.

SAFXR, which began development in July 2025, is a collaborative project led by Care Reality in partnership with NHS Education for Scotland (NES), the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), and the Suicidal Behaviour Research Lab (SBRL) at the University of Glasgow. The project brings together expertise in immersive technology, clinical education, su***de prevention research, and lived experience insight.

SAFXR is supported by funding from Innovate UK (IUK) through the Mindset Extended Reality (XR) funding programme, which aims to advance immersive digital therapeutics for mental health across the UK.

Professor Rory O’Connor, Director of the Suicidal Behaviour Research Lab at the University of Glasgow said:

“We’re delighted to be involved in this important innovation to enhance safety planning training for people who are suicidal. Making use of the latest immersive technologies, SAFXR will enhance existing su***de prevention efforts as we work together to tackle the scourge of su***de.”

🔗https://su***deresearch.info/2025/12/17/partners-advance-safxr-a-new-immersive-approach-to-su***de-prevention-training-and-workforce-mental-health/

16/12/2025

🆕Please share

10th Su***de and Self-harm Early & Mid-Career Researchers' Forum, 11-12 June 2026

Call for Abstracts: Closing date 27th March 2026

https://su***deresearch.info/10th-su***de-self-harm-early-mid-career-researchers-forum-emcrf26/

23/11/2025

Professor Rory O’Connor received the AITANA 2025 Lifetime Career Award for mental health research and su***de prevention at the 11th International Congress of Clinical and Health Psychology in Children and Adolescents in Malaga this week.

Rory added “I am delighted to receive the AITANA Lifetime Award. This award reflects collaborations with countless students and colleagues at home and abroad over many years- without their support and friendships, none of the research would have been possible - so sincere thanks to everyone who has supported our research as a co-investigator, funder, policy-maker or expert by experience.”

05/11/2025

🆕Please Share!

Save the Date: 10th Su***de and Self-harm Early and Mid-Career Researchers' Forum, 11-12 June 2026

Check back for details in due course: www.su***deresearch.info

25/09/2025

16/09/2025

The latest su***de statistics for Scotland have been published. 704 people were lost to su***de in 2024, which is a decrease of 11% compared to last year.

“While this is welcome news, our thoughts are with all those who lost a loved one to su***de.

As part of the 10 year strategy Creating Hope Together, there is a lot of important work across government and across society ongoing, but we must not be complacent because each death is one death too many.”

Professor Rory O’Connor, Chair of Academic Advisory Group to Scottish Government on su***de prevention

https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/probable-su***des-2024/ #

03/06/2025

We live streamed the panel discussion at the 9th Su***de & Self-harm Early and Mid-Career Researchers' Forum in Glasgow today

Susan Rasmussen, Marieke Ernst & Rory O'Connor covered a lot of ground: from researcher wellbeing, to key research gaps, and from hopes to our concerns for su***de prevention research in the future.

📽️Available in full below:

26/05/2025

A Psychological Approach to Understanding & Preventing Su***de (Free Training Modules)

We have developed a suite of learning modules on A Psychological Approach to Understanding and Preventing Su***de, funded by and in partnership with NHS Education Scotland.

The aim of these modules is to get to the heart of this most tragic of human outcomes, challenging myths and misunderstandings about su***de by bringing together people’s stories with the research evidence.

1. An overview of su***de
2. Risk & protective factors for su***de
3. The IMV model of su***de
4. What works to prevent suicidal behaviour

Full details here: https://su***deresearch.info/resources/

17/05/2025

Tracey and Georgia are incredible!

Following the tragic loss of their son & brother Max to su***de they set up the Mindstep Foundation.

We are so grateful to them, their donors & supporters because they are generous supporters of the research that we do here at the Suicidal Behaviour Research Lab 🙏🏻

30/04/2025

Please share!

Registration deadline for the brilliant Su***de & Self-harm Early & Mid-Career Researchers' Forum is fast approaching:

Closing date: 9th May

https://su***deresearch.info/2024/10/09/9th-su***de-self-harm-early-mid-career-researchers-forum/