The Out of Despair research concortium aims to generate a new, comprehensive knowledge base of youth in despair by applying and developing a method of social autopsy. This includes an extensive examination of the pathways of young people who died or nearly died from violent, suicidal, or drug-induced causes. By investigating deaths and near-death experiences of people under 30 years old, we are looking for ways to prevent risk behavior and to increase well-being and equality of young people. The common work of the consortium is divided to work packages (WP).
Risk behavior and services – viewpoint of young people at risk (WP5) is the research project that is carried out by the Youth Research Society and the A-Clinic Foundation. The research focuses on service use of hard-to-reach youth, but also common factors, cultural environments and social mechanisms behind overdoses, severe violence, and suicidal behavior. The aim is to build more understanding on three types of causes of deaths among Finnish young adults with substance use problems who had experienced severe violence, non-lethal overdoses, or suicide attempts.
Different data sets are used to increase understanding of the world of young people and risk factors related to life situations. Ethnographic fieldwork is conducted in low threshold services directed for youth who actively use drugs. Hard-to-reach young adults are interviewed on their experiences of overdose, violence-related situations or suicide attempts, occasionally using a photovoice method. The data is supplemented by interviewing staff of low threshold services.
Additionally, the experiences of young people are examined using anonymous chat conversation data. Anonymous discussions between young people and a counsellor in online chat reflect young people’s thoughts and service needs expressed in their own words from their perspective. Young peoples’ experiences of despair are studied as an online phenomenon through discussions related to suicide. See also a linked project CHAT-YOUTH.
Long-term follow-up of former patients with SUD has become possible by digitalized register-based data and follow-up study on Criminality, Health and Taxation of Inpatients and Outpatients entered into Treatment for Substance Use (RIPE). The data provides means to assess the life-course after intensive early treatment.
Funding and partners
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, leader of the consortium Pekka Hakkarainen
University of Helsinki / Faculty of Social Sciences, Janne Kivivuori
Tampere University / Faculty of Social Sciences, Sami Pirkola
Finnish Youth Research Society, Tuuli Pitkänen
University of Turku / Department of Computing, Leo Lahti
A-Clinic Foundation, Jouni Tourunen
Funded by The Strategic Research Council (SRC).
Out of Despair webpage in English.
Chat research: New articles out!
Online counselling chat services are a valuable resource for supporting youth, particularly in the context of rising global psychological distress and the limited accessibility or capacity of traditional mental health systems. The following articles on chat services have been published in collaboration with the CHAT YOUTH -project:
Irati Higuera-Lozano, M. Ramirez, Noortje Breugelmans, Elke Denayer, Alexis Dewaele, Katalin Felvinczi, Lien Goossens, Zsuzsa Kaló, Tuuli Pitkänen, Mónika Rényi, Virvatuli Uusimäki, María Cabello (2026) Benefits, limitations and potential solutions for defining good practices in Online Counselling Chat Services for Youth, Internet Interventions, Volume 43, March 2026, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2026.100902
Dewaele, A., Denayer, E., Cabello, M., Higuera-Lozano, I., Pitkänen, T., Felvinczi, K., Kaló, Z., Soininvaara, S., & Goossens, L. (2025). Help Is Just a Message Away: Online Counselling Chat Services Bridging Gaps in Youth Mental Health? European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 15(12), 257. https://doi.org/10.3390/10.3390/ejihpe15120257
A new publication has been also published on Methodological issues in the study of anonymous chat services aimed at supporting young people’s mental wellbeing. The article can be read online openly in Finnish:
Pitkänen, T., Takala, J., Heinonen S., Helfer, A., Kantanen, P., Soininvaara, S., Tuovila, A., Uusimäki, V., Väistö, M. & Tourunen, J. (2026). Nuorten mielen hyvinvoinnin tukemiseen suunnattujen anonyymien chat-palvelujen tutkimisessa huomioon otettavia menetelmäkysymyksiä. Kasvun Tuki -Aikakauslehti.
How drug use and illegal drug markets relate to violence?
The presentation in NSfK’s 63rd research seminar (2025) focused on the ethnographic observation data collected in the Out of Despair -project and in the severe violence experienced by young people who are actively using drugs. The full findings will be published later as a research article. Read the Blogpost on The Nordic Research Council for Criminology webpage:
Kaskela, T. & Helfer, A. (2025) The complex phenomenon of violence experienced by young people who are actively using drugs. The Nordic Research Council for Criminology
Another piece of writing has been published in Finnish on the theme of street safety. Concerns related to street safety are typically directed at the everyday safety of middle-class people. However, the risks associated with street violence accumulate among a small group of young people who are using actively drugs. The violence they face is easily forgotten in public debate. The publication in the Haaste magazine presents the results of our ethnographic research on the experiences of vulnerable young people:
Helfer, A. & Kaskela, T. (2026) Katujen turvallisuus kuuluu kaikille – tuloksia etnografisesta tutkimuksesta
New year, new studies on the way
The new year starts with many articles in peer-reviewing. Following two studies have been published for the beginning of 2026.
The research article explores what kinds of methodological and ethical challenges should be considered when reaching hard-to-reach young people based on our ethnographic fieldwork. The results illustrate that the continuous evaluation of consent is needed when interviewing people who use drugs daily. Also, flexibility, patience, and time were essential when conducting these thematic interviews with hard-to-reach young people.
Kaskela, T., Helfer, A., Tourunen, J., & Pitkänen, T. (2025). Reaching hard-to-reach young people: Methodological and ethical considerations in data collection. Nordisk tidsskrift for ungdomsforskning, 6(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.18261/ntu.6.2.6
There are several risk factors behind suicide among young people, and knowledge of them combined with timely help is the key to suicide prevention. The research review emphasized the assessment of suicide risk and the support of young people at all levels:
Pirkola, S., Nieminen, V., Kataja, K., Helfer, A., Aaltonen, K., Marttunen, M. (2026) Miten nuorten itsemurhia voidaan ehkäistä? Suom Lääkäril 2026;81:e46447. (in Finnish)
Young Despair studied in MA thesis
Three Master’s thesis have been published so far as part of the Out of Despair -project. The data for the studies was collected from chat conversations conducted by young people in the Sekasin chat service. Mari Väistö‘s master’s thesis investigated young girls’ (aged 15–17) reasons for seeking help for mental health challenges from chat services. Essi-Lotta Hänninen‘s master’s thesis examines the concerns expressed by young adults aged 20–24 towards social and mental health services. Sanni Heinonen‘s master’s thesis examined the experiences of domestic violence among young women aged 18–24 and means by which young people were supported in online discussions concerning domestic violence.
Mari Väistö (2024). Sosiaalinen ja institutionaalinen luottamus avun saantiin 15-17-vuotiaiden tyttöjen chat-palvelussa käymien keskustelujen perusteella(Vieraile ulkoisella sivustolla. Linkki avautuu uuteen välilehteen.). Master’s thesis. University of Helsinki.
Sanni Heinonen (2025) Lähisuhdeväkivalta nuorten naisten kertomana anonyymeissä chat-keskusteluissa. Master’s thesis. University of Helsinki.
Essi-Lotta Hänninen (2025) Digitaalinen ääni nuorilta – Chat-keskusteluissa esiintyvät huolet sosiaali- ja mielenterveyspalveluista. Master’s thesis. University of Lapland.
New research article on how suicide is discussed online in a chat counseling services for youth
How do young people discuss the topic of suicide in an anonymous chat counselling service? The new research article by Alix Helfer, Kati Kataja and Tuuli Pitkänen examines young people’s genuine experiences in terms of suicidal behavior discussed online and their motivations for seeking help anonymously.
Alix Helfer, Kati Kataja & Tuuli Pitkänen (2025). When Despair Takes Over: Suicide Conversations in an Online Counseling Chat Service for Youth. Child & Youth Services, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/0145935X.2024.2437758
Read the article here!
- Start year:
- 2022
- End year:
- 2025
Project Director
Tuuli Pitkänen
PhD, Adjunct professor
Research Manager
+358 41 517 8678
tuuli.pitkanen@youthresearch.fi