Annually, there are over 56,000 suicides in Europe, what affects not only loved ones, but also the health and social care system, education system, labor market and economy. In Sweden, it was estimated that only in 2014 the total costs of these events amounted to over 850 million euros (MSB, 2015).
In Austria, in 2017 there were 1261suicides. At the same time, 481 people were killed in road accidents (Eurostat, 2019).
In Hungary, in 2018 there were 1656 suicides. At the same time, 567 people were killed in road accidents (https://www.ksh.hu/docs/hun/xstadat/xstadat_evkozi/e_ods001.html).
In Norway, in 2017 there were 593 suicides. At the same time, 106 people were killed in road accidents (http://statistikkbank.fhi.no/dar/)
In Poland, in 2017 there were 4482 suicides. At the same time, 2831 people were killed in road accidents (GUS, 2019).
In Sweden, in 2018, 1268 people took their lives. At the same time, 325 were killed in road accidents (Socialstyrelsen, 2019)
There is a need for a strategy and resources to decrease suicides, as it is a need a strategy and resources to decrease mortality in traffic accidents. It is possible to develop the ability to cope with mental crisis situations and prevent suicide through an empathic approach rather than a judgmental, devoting a moment every day to specific action. This is especially important for academic teachers and students, especially those who teach and those who study in the fields of medicine, nursing, psychology, sociology or those related to the media. Raising skills and inviting people to use digital tools that can be used by a person in a suicidal crisis, including a student or university teacher, can save lives. One of such digital solutions might become an e-learning platform that will be developed as part of the ERASMUS + international program. Blekinge Region is a coordinator of this project. The project also includes the Medical University (Vienna), the Jagiellonian University, the University of Warsaw, NGOs from Poland, Norway and Sweden and a private company from Hungary. None of these countries have an e-learning program in the area of suicide prevention at higher education level. The ELLIPSE project will fill this gap by improving skills, taking into account the needs and preferences of students and academic teachers, what is particularly important in the event of labor market shortages. This will be achieved by creating an e-learning platform for students and academic teachers on suicide prevention along with a textbook and a free self-help application.
The project website (www.e-llipse.com) will be launched soon.
ELLIPSE 