DIGITAL INNOVATIONS IN SUICIDE PREVENTION: TOWARD A PARADIGM SHIFT.

Abstract

Despite the implementation of various suicide prevention strategies - such as means restriction, school-based education and follow-up interventions - their overall effectiveness remains limited, particularly in early detection, continuity of care and user engagement. The rapid advancement of digital technologies presents a unique opportunity to transform suicide prevention by enabling timely, scalable and personalized interventions. This article presents a narrative review of emerging digital solutions for suicide prevention, based on a structured literature search (2015-2025) across PubMed, Medline and Google Scholar. Five main categories of tools were identified: (1) mobile applications, (2) empathic chatbots, (3) machine learning-based risk prediction models, (4) passive sensing combined with ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and (5) simulations and embodied conversational agents (ECAs). These technologies show significant promise in enhancing risk identification, user engagement and continuity of care. Among them, blended care models - integrating digital tools with clinician-delivered interventions - emerge as particularly effective, improving adherence, therapeutic alliance and clinical outcomes. However, challenges remain, including algorithm transparency, user dependency and ethical management of acute crises. This paper advocates for a paradigm shift in suicide prevention: from reactive, episodic approaches to proactive, data-driven and human-centered care pathways. Ensuring safety, equity, and clinical relevance will require co-designed development, rigorous validation and governance frameworks tailored to real-world mental health systems.