Renske Gilissen Professor by Special Appointment of Suicide Prevention
Every day, five people die by suicide in the Netherlands. Suicide is a complex phenomenon and consequently many questions remain about how to reduce the number of suicides. Renske Gilissen will strengthen both research and education on suicide prevention at Clinical Psychology in Leiden. From June 1, she holds the chair by special appointment for suicide prevention.
Suicide is most common among middle-aged men and is the number one cause of death among young people aged between 10 and 30. A number of interventions are already known to be effective to prevent suicide, in particular limiting access to lethal means, prevention programmes at schools and cognitive behavioural therapy.
Clinical Psychology
A combination of interventions is needed to reduce the number of suicides. Which combination of interventions is necessary and most (cost-)effective is, however, not yet known and requires more research. The Chair in Suicide Prevention is an excellent fit with Clinical Psychology research, with its three research pillars: 'depression and suicide prevention', 'stress and trauma' and 'intervention research'.
Impact
With this unique chair, 113 Suicide Prevention aims to promote research and education related to suicide and suicide prevention, as well as practice-based applications of suicide prevention in the Netherlands. It is the joint ambition of 113 Suicide Prevention and the Clinical Psychology Section to strengthen ongoing collaborations for prevention and create societal impact.