App
Stay Alive
The Stay Alive app describes itself as a ‘pocket suicide prevention resource’ for people who are having thoughts of suicide and people who are concerned about someone else who may be considering suicide. It has a range of information and areas you can customise to help you stay safe if you are thinking about ending your life.
What can you do in the Stay Alive app?
The Stay Alive app has five main sections.
First is ‘Find Help Now’. We know that people who are experiencing suicidal thoughts deserve support – and that there are people who want to listen and support you. The app has links to resources for emergency situations, as well as guidance for talking to your GP about suicide and information about organisations working across the UK. You can also add contacts who can help you when you’re in crisis, as well as other resources like websites you find helpful.
The second area of the app is called ‘My Stay Alive’. It has customisable tools to help you stay safe, including a space to store positive photos and images and a place to list reasons for living (with suggestions to get you started). There’s also a breathing exercise, and space to create both a safety plan (which helps you recognise your warning signs and the actions you can take to stay safe) and a wellness plan (with everyday things that help you get – and stay – well). It can be helpful to fill these out when you’re feeling OK, so they’re there when (and if) you need them.
The ‘Advice’ section is full of useful information, including guidance on staying safe when you’re struggling, information that corrects common misunderstandings about suicide, grounding techniques, and ideas for looking after yourself. It also has some information about counselling, and some links to websites about private counselling (counselling outside of the NHS that you pay for yourself).
The app also has a section for if you’re ‘Worried About Someone’, which has information including warning signs and advice about practical steps to help (and things to avoid doing or saying).
Finally, you can access information about the app and how to get the most out of it in the ‘About’ section. This also has the app disclaimer and its privacy and cookies policies.
You can create an account to sync your data across devices, but you don’t have to do this in the mobile app.
You can access everything except the ‘My Stay Alive’ section on a website in your browser. To access this section in your browser, you have to create an account.
How does the Stay Alive app help?
Stay Alive includes all six evidence-based suicide prevention strategies: asking about mood and suicidal thoughts to assess risk, developing a safety plan, recommending activities to deter suicidal thoughts, providing information and education, giving access to support networks, and giving access to emergency resources like crisis helplines.
Stay Alive was developed with researchers and it has been assessed and evaluated as well. You can read about the research on the Grassroots Suicide Prevention website.
Stay Alive app: the details
How much does it cost?
Stay Alive is is entirely free to download and use. There are no paid features.
What ages is it for?
The website of Grassroots Suicide Prevention (the organisation that made the app) says that Stay Alive is for everyone and that it is safe for children and young people to use it, although it can be helpful having a parent, guardian or professional guide them through the different sections to make sure they understand and get the most out of it.
The App Store gives it a 4+ age rating. Apps in this category contain no objectionable material.
The Play Store says it has a PEGI 3+ rating. The content of apps with this rating is considered suitable for all age groups.
Is it password-protected?
If you create an account, you can choose a password.
The app stores data on the device it is entered into (for example, your phone or tablet). If you have an account, the data stored on your device will be synchronised to the web app. Data is encrypted and transferred and stored securely.
Who made the app?
A suicide prevention charity called Grassroots Suicide Prevention made the Stay Alive app. You can find out more about Grassroots Suicide Prevention on their website.