Ripple Suicide Prevention

The team at Friendly WiFi has recently been introduced to Alice Hendy CEO and Founder at R;pple Suicide Prevention, who sadly lost her brother, Josh, from suicide. As part of our work to drive awareness of online initiatives to help promote the safety of others, we are very happy to share news of this great online tool.. Read on to hear the story and learn more about how it works...

The Lived Experience

Alice Hendy tragically lost her brother, Josh, on the 25th November 2020 from suicide. Josh was her only sibling and was 21 years of age.

After examining Josh’s phone and laptop following his death, Alice found that Josh had been researching techniques to take his own life via internet searches, suicide forums and video tutorials.

The Problem

There are 1.2 million internet searches for ways to take your own life every month (Suicide Forum)
Searches for suicide methods have increased by 50% in the last 2 years (Semrush)
Searches for suicidal thoughts have increased by 23% in the last 2 years (Semrush)
Searches for suicide hotlines have increased by 125% since January 2019 (Semrush)

The content available online following a search of this nature currently provides mental health support in one format: a helpline.

The Solution

Alice’s day job involves working in IT and Cyber Security, with experience in working for global financial institutions and insurance firms in the city of London.

To ensure more help and support is given to individuals in mental health crisis and searching for harmful content online, Alice set up R;pple to provide people with a voice, choice, empowerment and control at a time when they are most vulnerable.

What is R;pple?

R;pple is an intervention tool when someone searches for harmful online content, rather than just a phone number. It provides an immediate interception on a user’s device once they have been flagged, consisting of a powerful message of hope and a selection of mental health support resources in a range of different communication options (call, text, webchat, self-help app, and pocket resources).

The reasons why people choose suicide are often complex, and people have to take practical actions to end their own lives. If suicide is a practical act, then we need practical solutions to prevent it from happening; R;pple is a vital and practical tool which achieves that aim. In a moment of crisis, anything that offers hope or an alternative to someone considering suicide must be considered very seriously.

The Impact

Through R;pple, an individual feeling despair and researching harmful content will be urged to instead seek mental health support they deserve and need in a way that works best for them.

By interrupting a person’s search for a method to take their own life and instead providing them with a message of hope as well as practical actions they can undertake to access help and support, R;pple goes significantly beyond simply flagging up a helpline together with the requested search results – R;pple is a game changer in suicide prevention tools.

The Research

R;pple has been created with evidence and research in mind at every stage. To develop the content of the message and select the resources that feature on the R;pple tool, the team worked in collaboration with mental health clinicians, professionals, NHS representatives, lived experience panels and the general public.

When will R;pple be available?

R;pple launched as a ‘browser extension’ 10th September (World Suicide Prevention Day) and is available to download onto your laptop or desktop now.

How can I download R;pple?

R;pple is available to download onto your laptop or desktop as a ‘browser extension’. This can be done as an individual or as an organisation by installing the extension on all managed devices within your workspace.