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Cited by 118Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesHomicide, Infanticide, and Child AbuseInjury Epidemiology and Prevention

Effectiveness of Barriers at Suicide Jumping Sites: A Case Study

Beautrais, Annette L.·2001·Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
DOI 10.1080/0004867010060501
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Abstract

Objectives: Suicide safety barriers were removed from a central city bridge in an Australasian metropolitan area in 1996 after having been in place for 60 years. The bridge is a known suicide site and is located adjacent to the region's largest hospital, which includes an acute inpatient psychiatric unit. This paper examines the impact of the removal of these barriers on suicide rates. Method: Data for suicide deaths by jumping from the bridge in question, from 1992to 2000, were obtained from the regional City Police Inquest Office. Data for suicide deaths by jumping from other sites in the metropolitan area in question, from 1992 to 1998, were obtained from the national health statistics database. Case history data about each suicide death by jumping in the metropolitan area in question, from 1994 to 1998, were abstracted from coronial files held by a national database. Results: Removal of safety barriers led to an immediate and substantial increase in both the numbers and rate of suicide by jumping from the bridge in question. In the 4 years following the removal of the barriers (compared with the previous 4 years) the number of suicides increased substantially, from three to 15 (χ 2 = 8, df = 1, p < 0.01); the rate of such deaths increased also (χ 2 = 6.6, df = 1, p < 0.01). The majority of those who died by jumping from the bridge following the removal of the safety barriers were young male psychiatric patients, with psychotic illnesses. Following the removal of the barriers from the bridge the rate of suicide by jumping in the metropolitan area in question did not change but the pattern of suicides by jumping in the city changed significantly with more suicides from the bridge in question and fewer at other sites. Conclusions: Removal of safety barriers from a known suicide site led to a substantial increase in the numbers of suicide deaths by jumping from that site. These findings appear to strengthen the case for installation of safety barriers at suicide sites in efforts to prevent suicide deaths, and also suggest the need for extreme caution about the removal of barriers from known jumping sites.

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  • The construction of barriers and fencing at high-risk jumping sites, especially bridges, can lead to a reduction in the number of suicides by this method.

    “A range of studies have demonstrated that the construction of barriers and fencing at high-risk jumping sites, especially bridges, can lead to a reduction in the number of suicides by this method (Beautrais 2001;Bennewith 2007;Pelletier 2007;Pirkis 2013;Pirkis 2015).”

    From Means restriction for the prevention of suicide by jumping (2020) · cites this paper as Beautrais 2001

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Authors
Beautrais, A. L.
Affiliations
Canterbury Suicide Project, Christchurch School of Medicine, PO Box 4345, Christchurch, New Zealand
Corresponding author
Beautrais, Annette L.
Venue
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2001-10
Volume
35
Issue
5
Pages
557-562
ISSN
  • 0004-8674 (ISSN-L)
  • 1440-1614
DOI
10.1080/0004867010060501
OpenAlex
W2145798998
Cited by
118
References
31
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 7
FWCI
1.33
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Injury Epidemiology and Prevention
Keywords
suicide prevention, bridge jumping, suicide rates, psychiatric inpatients, psychosis, psychiatric hospitals
MeSH terms
Suicide Prevention, Adult, Architectural Accessibility, Humans, Inpatients, Male, New Zealand, Population Surveillance, Retrospective Studies, Suicide, Urban Population

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