Internet search engines may both aid and danger people who are at risk of suicide, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the Institute of Social Medicine at the MedUni Vienna's Centre for Public Health found that a lot of content on the internet containing harmful information that can potentially encourage suicide ranks higher in search engines' hit lists than sources of help.

Although information of a more protective nature is significantly more plentiful than harmful information on popular search engines in Austria and in the United States, there is still reason for concern.

"However the type of website and quality of information found depends greatly on what search terms are used. There is considerably more potentially harmful web content available when method-based search terms are used (such as "how do I hang myself?") and more potentially protective content with help-orientated terms (e.g. "suicide help")," researcher Thomas Niederkrotenthaler said in a study. "People at greater risk of suicide probably use method-based terms, which is why it is extremely relevant what appears in the search lists."

For the study, researchers investigated which websites can be found by searching for information on suicides using popular search engines (Google, Bing/Yahoo) in Austria or the United States.

The study also makes it clear that, in terms of suicide prevention on the Internet -- especially in Austria -- there is still room for improvement in relation to user-friendliness and rankings. By way of a specific improvement, the study authors recommend that operators of prevention websites improve the rankings of their own websites for searches performed using method-oriented search terms. This can be achieved partly by enabling ads for their website to appear when search terms of this kind are entered, but also by enhancing their own website with suitable meta tags.

Researchers said the integration of social media or a higher number of links leading to a website that are not dangerous for those who are at risk of suicide can help to further improve an organization's ranking in the search engines.

The findings were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.