at Harvard University

Nock Lab is an educational research center at Harvard University. The primary goal is to advance the understanding of why people engage in behaviors that are harmful to themselves, with a special emphasis on suicide, self-injury, and other forms of direct self-harm. Our research is multi-disciplinary and uses a range of methodological approaches to better understand how these behaviors develop, how to predict their occurrence, and ultimately how to prevent them. Check out our twitter for relevant news stories and local events: https://twitter.com/NockLabHarvard

The primary goal of our research is to understand why people engage in behaviors that are harmful to themselves and to translate the knowledge gained into better methods for assessing and treating harmful behaviors. Our research is multidisciplinary and we use a range of complementary methodological approaches (e.g., epidemiologic surveys, laboratory-based experiments, clinic-based studies, and real-time monitoring) to better understand how these behaviors develop, how to predict them, and how to prevent their occurrence. 

One of the greatest obstacles to studying suicidal behavior has been that although it is a leading cause of death, it occurs at a fairly low base-rate in the general population. As a result, very large samples of people are required to study suicidal behavior in a detailed way. Because virtually all prior studies have used small, selective samples (e.g., clinic patients)—mostly in Western countries— even the most basic characteristics of suicidal behavior have remained unknown. Understanding who is most at risk for suicide and how these behaviors develop is an essential first step in understanding the nature of this problem.

To overcome this long-standing challenge, we are studying the prevalence, characteristics, and risk & protective factors for suicidal behaviors (i.e., suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts) in the largest, most representative study of suicidal behaviors ever conducted. This research is being carried out as part of the WHO World Mental Health Survey Initiative - a series of nationally representative surveys conducted in 28 countries around the globe. Our primary questions include: What is the prevalence of suicidal behaviors around the world? When do these behaviors typically begin? What factors increase the risk of suicidal behaviors? This study provides an unprecedented opportunity to learn about the nature of this leading cause of death.