Lessons from the Westgate Bridge: suicide prevention and publicity

Securing a suicide hot spot: effects of a safety net at the Bern Muenster Terrace

The city of Bern has a high percentage of suicides by jumping (28.6%). Related to other local hotspots, the highest number of deaths (mean 2.5 per year) is found at the Muenster Terrace in the old city. In 1998, after a series of suicides, a safety net was built to prevent people from leaping from the terrace and to avoid further traumatization of people living in the street below. We analyzed the numbers of suicides by jumping before and after the installation of the net. We also assessed the number of media reports referring to this suicide method. After the installation of the net no suicides occurred from the terrace. The number of people jumping from all high places in Bern was significantly lower compared to the years before, indicating that no immediate shift to other nearby jumping sites took place. Furthermore, we found a moderate correlation between the number of media reports and the number of persons resident outside Bern committing suicide by jumping from high places in the city.

Effectiveness of barriers at suicide jumping sites: a case study

OBJECTIVES

Suicide safety barriers were removed from a central city bridge in an Australasian metropolitan area in 1996 after having been in place for 60 years. The bridge is a known suicide site and is located adjacent to the region's largest hospital, which includes an acute inpatient psychiatric unit. This paper examines the impact of the removal of these barriers on suicide rates.

METHOD

Data for suicide deaths by jumping from the bridge in question, from 1992 to 2000, were obtained from the regional City Police Inquest Office. Data for suicide deaths by jumping from other sites in the metropolitan area in question, from 1992 to 1998, were obtained from the national health statistics database. Case history data about each suicide death by jumping in the metropolitan area in question, from 1994 to 1998, were abstracted from coronial files held by a national database.

RESULTS

Removal of safety barriers led to an immediate and substantial increase in both the numbers and rate of suicide by jumping from the bridge in question. In the 4 years following the removal of the barriers (compared with the previous 4 years) the number of suicides increased substantially, from three to 15 (chi2 = 8, df = 1, p < 0.01); the rate of such deaths increased also (chi2 = 6.6, df = 1, p < 0.01). The majority of those who died by jumping from the bridge following the removal of the safety barriers were young male psychiatric patients, with psychotic illnesses. Following the removal of the barriers from the bridge the rate of suicide by jumping in the metropolitan area in question did not change but the pattern of suicides by jumping in the city changed significantly with more suicides from the bridge in question and fewer at other sites.

CONCLUSIONS

Removal of safety barriers from a known suicide site led to a substantial increase in the numbers of suicide deaths by jumping from that site. These findings appear to strengthen the case for installation of safety barriers at suicide sites in efforts to prevent suicide deaths, and also suggest the need for extreme caution about the removal of barriers from known jumping sites.