The Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (CSRP) leads research into the causes and prevention of suicide and self-harm, and collaborates with local and international partners to promote the Public Health Approach to suicide prevention and mental health promotion. CSRP recognises that tackling the problem of suicide requires an individualised approach to supporting those at high risk, selective interventions for those sub-groups with higher risk than average, and also community wide efforts that address conditions associated with suicidal tendencies and that improve societal wellbeing.

The Centre was founded in 2002, and is based in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Hong Kong. In addition to carrying out research, capacity building and advocacy, the Centre also coordinates training and interventions to promote good mental health in schools, workplace and the community at large. We use big data analytics based on Coroner Court’s information and social media data to create a robust suicide surveillance system for monitoring self-harm and suicide trends. The recent interests are to develop effective online emotional support for young people. We also provide evidence-based suicide prevention information to the media and policymakers, and represent the perspectives of the city and region internationally.

The scope of CSRP’s work is not limited to crisis intervention, but also includes broadly reducing risk factors for suicide (e.g. depression, poverty, drug abuse, etc.) and enhancing protective factors (e.g. social support, positive psychology, altruistic giving, etc.). The emphasis is on wellness promotion for more resilient communities rather than illness prevention. The Centre is made up of a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and practitioners with interests including public health, psychology, psychiatry, social work, social policy, health economics, education, media studies, cultural studies, and data sciences. The Centre is a strategic partner with the International Association of Suicide Prevention, World Health Organization and many local NGOs on suicide prevention, mental health promotion, and social policy.

Website: http://csrp.hku.hk
Email: csrp@hku.hk
Tel: 2831 5232
Fax: 2549 7161