<p class="title">A therapy-based website can help people struggling to cope with suicidal thoughts, a study has found.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Mental health researchers behind the website 'nowmattersnow.org' asked over 3,000 website visitors how they felt before they got to the site compared to a few minutes on the website.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Nearly one-third were significantly less suicidal, and the intensity of their negative emotions had also decreased, according to a research published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ursula Whiteside, a clinical psychologist at the University of Washington (UW) in the US, said the results offer hope for people struggling to cope.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The site, developed by UW psychology professor Marsha Linehan, exposes visitors to dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), a form of psychotherapy that combines behavioral science and Buddhist principles on mindfulness and acceptance.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We set out to build a free resource based not only in science but also with the voices and stories of people who had experienced suicidal thoughts," Whiteside said in a statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We wanted clinicians to feel empowered to help those who are struggling," she said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The survey of users was conducted from March 5, 2015 to December 3, 2017.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Users were asked to rate their suicidal thoughts or negative feelings on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the most suicidal or negative). More than 70 per cent of survey respondents recalled having some suicidal thoughts when they arrived at the website.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Of those who reported suicidal thoughts (2,644) at baseline, 29 per cent reported a reduction of one point or more in suicidal thoughts during the site visit.</p>
<p class="title">A therapy-based website can help people struggling to cope with suicidal thoughts, a study has found.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Mental health researchers behind the website 'nowmattersnow.org' asked over 3,000 website visitors how they felt before they got to the site compared to a few minutes on the website.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Nearly one-third were significantly less suicidal, and the intensity of their negative emotions had also decreased, according to a research published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ursula Whiteside, a clinical psychologist at the University of Washington (UW) in the US, said the results offer hope for people struggling to cope.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The site, developed by UW psychology professor Marsha Linehan, exposes visitors to dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), a form of psychotherapy that combines behavioral science and Buddhist principles on mindfulness and acceptance.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We set out to build a free resource based not only in science but also with the voices and stories of people who had experienced suicidal thoughts," Whiteside said in a statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We wanted clinicians to feel empowered to help those who are struggling," she said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The survey of users was conducted from March 5, 2015 to December 3, 2017.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Users were asked to rate their suicidal thoughts or negative feelings on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the most suicidal or negative). More than 70 per cent of survey respondents recalled having some suicidal thoughts when they arrived at the website.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Of those who reported suicidal thoughts (2,644) at baseline, 29 per cent reported a reduction of one point or more in suicidal thoughts during the site visit.</p>