The collaborative research by suicide prevention helpline Samaritans and Bristol University in the U.K. focuses on studying the relationship between Internet and suicidal behaviors, and it has been discovered that the Internet is playing an increasingly prevalent role in the lives of those experiencing suicidal thoughts.

The recent study involves: how, why and when suicidal people use related content online, the impact online material has on the suicidal behavior, and the characteristics of people that are more likely to turn to the Internet when they feel vulnerable.

Dr. Lucy Biddle of School of Social and Community Medicine at Bristol University claimed that the Internet posed "considerable challenges" for suicide prevention. "The Internet provides readily accessible information that may increase the risk of suicide and allows an immediate exchange of unregulated user-generated content through social media and chatrooms," she said. "Regulating and policing this is extremely challenging. A more effective approach may be to try to understand why and where people go online so that we can direct our efforts at supporting vulnerable web-users and working with the industry."

"As part of this we should recognize and capitalize upon the great potential the Internet has to reach out to and help those in need," she added. "This essential research is long overdue."

Joe Ferns, Executive Director of Policy, Research & Development at Samaritans, said the discovery was a very important part of the research. "Until now politicians, journalists and campaigners have been debating in a vacuum, with insufficient hard evidence to support or refute their views," said Ferns. "The findings of this project will be turned into practical actions, helping us understand how to best support our callers in the future. They will also inform the debate both have in the U.K. and around the world."

The research team now plans to utilize their findings to provide evidence-based advice on suicide prevention, in order to influence the Internet industry, advise policy makers, develop online support, and assist clinicians in supporting patients. The research is set to end until March 2016.