Website for people at risk of suicide: developed by people with lived experience in collaboration with researchers

The study examined how people with lived experience with suicidality can be actively involved in developing a suicide preventitative initiative. The article describes the development and content of the website Kulkælderen.dk (only in Danish) and explores the factors that facilitated or hindered collaboration between people with lived experience and researchers.

The project was carried out by the Papageno group, which consisted of people with a history of suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts who were no longer experiencing an acute crisis. In total, 12 people with lived experience were members of the group at different stages. Between 2021 and 2024, 28 meetings were held, during which participants contributed to the website’s written content, visual design, and structure. At the end of the project, the collaborative process was evaluated through qualitative interviews with two active members with lived experience and four members of the administrative team.

The website includes exercises for managing acute suicidal thoughts, guidance on different levels of suicidal ideation, examples of safety plans, coping strategies, and information about where to seek help. The evaluation showed that participants found the work meaningful and were proud to use their experiences to help others. They also felt that the group gave them a voice and that their perspectives were taken seriously. At the same time, the three-year project was demanding, and staff changes, unclear roles, insufficient communication, and a lack of procedures for conflict management created uncertainty and frustration.

Overall, the study shows that people with lived experience can play a valuable role in the development of suicide prevention initiatives. However, future projects should be organised as shorter, clearly defined processes with explicit aims, stable structures, and clearly defined roles. Psychological support and an experienced facilitator should also be available to support vulnerable participants and manage potential conflicts. The findings should be interpreted with caution, as only two people with lived experience participated in the evaluation.