{"id":13496,"date":"2023-12-15T10:10:47","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T15:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/genetics\/?p=13496"},"modified":"2023-12-15T10:10:47","modified_gmt":"2023-12-15T15:10:47","slug":"institute-brings-together-unc-suicide-prevention-researchers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/genetics\/institute-brings-together-unc-suicide-prevention-researchers\/","title":{"rendered":"Institute brings together UNC suicide prevention researchers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following story discusses suicide, mental health and mental health resources. If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text or chat with\u00a0the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.<\/em><\/p>\n

Several researchers at the\u00a0University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill<\/a>\u00a0are focusing their efforts on suicide-related intervention research, but linking their work across schools and departments can be daunting.<\/p>\n

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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz addresses the crowd at the UNC School of Medicine\u2019s \u201cAdvancing Suicide Prevention Through Collaboration at UNC Chapel Hill\u201d facilitated by the Suicide Prevention Institute last month.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bringing experts together was the goal of the UNC\u00a0School of Medicine\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0\u201cAdvancing Suicide Prevention Through Collaboration at UNC Chapel Hill\u201d event last month, as faculty members and researchers came together to share their efforts on suicide prevention.<\/p>\n

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Facilitated by the\u00a0Department of Psychiatry\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0Suicide Prevention Institute<\/a>, the event sought to break down the barriers that keep researchers from collaborating and help one another connect, share and \u201cbe curious.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Patrick Sullivan, Yeargan Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Genetics and director of the institute<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe found that a lot of people at UNC were doing really interesting and important work on suicide, but they did not know that the group next door was doing something important that connected with them,\u201d said\u00a0Patrick Sullivan<\/a>, Yeargan Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Genetics and director of the institute.<\/p>\n

\u201c(We wanted to) hear as many voices as we could to break down the silos that exist right now because collaboration is the key.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rising need<\/h2>\n

The country\u2019s suicide rate hit its\u00a0highest mark since 1941 last year<\/a>, rising 35 percent over the last two decades. The New York Times reported that the rate of suicides involving guns in the United States\u00a0reached its peak in 2023<\/a>\u00a0since officials began tracking it more than 50 years ago.<\/p>\n

College students are reporting rising rates of anxiety and depression, so figuring out the best and most effective ways to intervene before, during and after a suicide attempt is vital work.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach of us knows someone that has been impacted by the tragedy and trauma of suicide,\u201d UNC Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a topic I\u2019m deeply passionate about. This is instrumental in continuing our understanding of what is \u2026 a crisis across the country. The teamwork embodies Carolina\u2019s culture of collaboration. That\u2019s how we solve the greatest challenges of our times. I\u2019m confident that you\u2019ll rise to this challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Work across campus<\/h2>\n

Leading the conversation were UNC faculty, state workers and colleagues from\u00a0UNC System<\/a>\u00a0institutions.<\/p>\n

In all, the event included seven feature presentations with more than a dozen presenters giving quick, five-minute \u201clightning talks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Highlights of the presentations included:<\/p>\n