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Stay Alive Research

Stay Alive research

Independent evaluation and research shows Stay Alive helps to keep people safe from suicide and increase help-seeking behaviour.

Learn more about the ongoing and past research around our pioneering app, and how our Lived Experience groups are helping to inform our development.

The Stay Alive app is underpinned by ongoing user testing with those with lived experience. From development and launch, all the way to designing and testing new features, these lived experience voices are vital and we value hearing from different backgrounds, professional settings and personal experiences. 

Ongoing studies

Young Asian man writes down a plan

We welcome independent studies into how effective Stay Alive is as a tool for suicide prevention and are happy to collaborate on studies of all sizes. Please contact the Stay Alive team if this interests you. 

There is currently a university study being carried out in the UK on the Stay Alive app. We will share details below as soon as it is published. 

Lived experience

Lived experience of suicide is an essential part of Stay Alive app development, reinforcing clinical and frontline experience with the real experiences of users. 

During development, extensive consultation took place on the content of the Stay Alive app. We held local focus groups with young people and LGBTQ adults with mental health problems, and a team of mental health professionals, along with an online survey. 

Woman Speaking At Support Group Meeting For Mental Health Or Dependency Issues In Community Space

Since launch, the app has gone through numerous iterations, with ongoing developments in response to user feedback and evaluation.

In 2023-2024 (in partnership with Possability People) we developed and recruited Lived Experience Groups to formalise this unique and essential input to our work. The groups provide a direct line to potential, current and past app users (among other demographics) and are an important touchpoint between app development and user experience. 

Find out more about the groups and how you can get involved on our Lived Experience Groups page.

Existing research

There have been several independent reviews and evaluations of the Stay Alive app. Below you can find brief summaries and links to find out more. See what other trusted organisations have to say about our award-winning app!  

Stay Alive helped 76% of users stay safe; 93% say it reduces stigma

Unity Insights, 2024

Support from the National Lottery Digital Fund allowed us to continue our developments and updates of the app based on user feedback and testing.

At the end of the four-year period, an independent evaluation by Unity Insights showed that Stay Alive helped 76% of at-risk users to stay safe from suicide. Additionally, 93% of users felt the app reduced stigma of suicide through improved awareness, and 89% finding the app’s overall experience either ‘good’ or ‘very good’.

Stay Alive gains score of 79% on mobile and 74% for the web-app version from app evaluator ORCHA

The Organisation for the Review of Health and Care Apps (ORCHA), 2023 and 2024

Stay Alive scores 84% on mobile and 80% for the web-app version making it the third highest scoring app within the ‘suicide prevention’ category in ORCHA’s app library in 2024.

In 2023, benchmarking reports showed Stay Alive ranked 12th highest out of 57. 

The Organisation for the Review of Health and Care Apps (ORCHA) assess digital products to ensure they are meeting key standards across three review domains:

  • Data and privacy
  • Professional assurance and clinical safety
  • Usability and accessibility

76% of at-risk individuals stayed safe after using the app

Kent Surrey Sussex Academic Health Science Network, 2020

An independent evaluation report from the Kent Surrey Sussex Academic Health Science Network showed the app helped 76% of at-risk users to stay safe from suicide, and helped 89% of people find further support. 

The upgrade and evaluation were funded by the Crisis Care Concordat – Beyond Places of Safety scheme from the Department of Health & Social Care.

Stay Alive identified as one of the few suicide prevention apps with all six recommended suicide prevention strategies

Bio-Central Medicine, Martinengo et al, 2019

A comprehensive evaluation of depression and suicide prevention apps from Google Play and Apple’s App Store was conducted, identifying 2,690 apps through specific search terms. Of these, 69 met the inclusion criteria for assessment.

Of the 69 reviewed, only 5 apps (7%) were found to include all six evidence-based suicide prevention strategies. Stay Alive was one of the five, demonstrating the app’s dedication to providing quality and safety assurance in areas that other apps did not.

Stay Alive is a resource that can foster wellness and reduce burnout, depression, and suicide risk among healthcare workers

Association for Academic Psychiatry, Pospos et al, 2018

Healthcare professionals often face significant psychological challenges, yet many don’t seek help due to barriers like confidentiality concerns and stigma.

Stay Alive was one of seven resources chosen to enhance techniques for coping with stressors for healthcare students and professionals.

Web-based and mobile applications have been shown to mitigate stress, burnout, depression and suicidal ideation among several populations and may circumvent these barriers. In this study, published data on various resources was reviewed and a small sample that can readily be used by healthcare providers was selected.

Stay Alive has contributed to preventing 73 suicide attempts

Daniel Flecknoe, Specialty Registrar in Public Health, 2016

The piece of research highlighted the potential of smartphone apps in overcoming barriers like stigma, judgment and autonomy loss in accessing mental health help. Stay Alive was identified as having contributed to preventing 73 suicide attempts. 

The evaluation called for further review of existing apps and the development of new ones to meet evolving needs in this growing field of public mental health interventions. 

Want to know more?

If you would like to partner with us on a campaign, start a piece of research, help to fund app development, book us to come and talk about Stay Alive or enquire about other ways to support this incredible resource, please get in touch below. 

You can find more about the app’s features and tools on the About Stay Alive page.

If you want to access the app, you can download Stay Alive on mobile or tablet or visit Stay Alive online on your phone, tablet, computer or laptop. 

Did you know 1 in 5 people will have suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives?

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