Call for papers: Suicide and self-harm

• Florian Arendt
• Dan Romer
• Sebastian Scherr

We are pleased to announce a special issue of Psychology of Violence dedicated to the latest research on the psychology of suicide and self-harm. We take a broad view of the topic. We invite work on the detection and prevention of suicide and self-harm, as well as perspectives on the limitations, risks, and unintended consequences of these approaches.

We are particularly interested in studies examining the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of suicide and self-harm.

A central question motivating this special issue is: What is the impact of AI on suicide prevention? More specifically, does the increasing availability of AI systems ultimately reduce or increase suicide risk at the individual and societal levels? Relevant questions include, but are not limited to:

• What are the effects of using AI systems, such as large language models (LLMs) and autonomous agents, among individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts or crises? Under what circumstances do these systems produce beneficial outcomes, such as increased hope, coping, and help-seeking, and when might they contribute to harmful outcomes, including the reinforcement or encouragement of suicidal thoughts and behaviors?
• To what extent can AI serve as a source of therapeutic or emotional support? Which characteristics of AI-generated responses (e.g., empathy, personalization, authority, conversational style, or transparency regarding AI authorship) influence help-seeking intentions and suicide-related outcomes?
• How accurate, evidence-based, and safe are AI-generated responses to suicide-related queries across different models? What safeguards and governance mechanisms are necessary to minimize potential harms while maximizing preventive benefits?
• How might AI reshape media and communication processes related to suicide and self-harm, such as potential suicidal contagion (Werther effects) or Papageno effects (e.g., through messages of hope, coping, and recovery) and adherence to guidelines for safe media reporting?
• What is the broader societal impact of emerging AI technologies on suicide prevention and public understanding of self-harm and suicide?
• How do scholars and mental health professionals use AI in their work on suicide and its prevention?
• How can AI-assisted systems be used for the detection and prediction of suicide risk? Papers could address AI model performance comparisons, external validations, bias detection, and comparisons of AI systems with clinical and expert judgments of suicidality.
• What approaches move beyond risk detection toward intervention and treatment, when identifying risk factors alone does not reduce suicidal behavior?
• What are the risks from the generation of AI images in response to suicide-related prompts?
• What are the cultural and linguistic boundaries of AI systems, including whether models trained largely on English-language and Western data recognize culturally specific expressions of suicidality broadly defined?
• What privacy and data-protection concerns do AI chatbots raise in the context of suicide and self-harm?
• Do platform-level interventions controlled by AI, such as content warnings, algorithmic down-ranking, or safe-messaging prompts, reduce harm?
• Which forms of AI (e.g., generative AI, agentic AI) are most relevant to suicide prevention research, particularly for scholars studying media-related Werther and Papageno effects?
• How do the effects of AI-generated supportive messages differ from those of human-generated messages, and how do disclosures that a message was generated by AI affect its credibility, persuasiveness, and effectiveness?
• How are AI tools used by friends and family members seeking information about suicide and ways to support loved ones who may be at risk?
• How does the use of AI change the ways journalists seek information and write about suicide and self-harm (e.g., celebrity suicide news)?

Both empirical research papers and meta-analyses are welcome as both remain rare in this emerging literature.

We also welcome studies that examine the role of AI in providing information about related risk factors or comorbid conditions. For submissions focusing on risk factors for suicide (e.g., depression, alcohol misuse, or substance use disorders), the connection to suicide and/or self-harm must be explicitly addressed.

Papers are required to conform to the submission guidelines of the journal Psychology of Violence and submissions will be accepted until September 30, 2027. Please submit a title and description of the proposed submission to obtain a formal invitation and subsequent peer review. Proposals can be submitted via email to any of the guest editors, as listed below.

Full manuscripts should be submitted, only after formal invitation, through the  journal’s submission portal. Please note that an invitation to submit a manuscript does not guarantee acceptance.

The anticipated timeline is as follows:

• Submission of proposed articles deadline: March 15, 2027
• Full-paper submission deadline: September 30, 2027
• Target publication: 2028

Questions about the special issue can be directed to any of the editors.
Florian Arendtopens in new window
Dan Romeropens in new window
Sebastian Scherropens in new window