Norman Farberow - International Collaboration

International Collaboration

Farberow distinguishes Vienna Psychiatrist Erwin Ringel as a crucial pioneer in the development of suicide prevention in the world. Ringel convened the first European meeting focused on suicide prevention in 1960 in Vienna. The following year, Ringel visited the LASPC and invited Farberow to share his vision. In its infancy, the concept of a new global organization underwent “a classic clash of American vs. European ideas of how an Association was structured.” Farberow wrote, “My approach reflected my experience in U.S. psychology governance while his approach reflected his experience in an autocratic university and European associations.” The commitment to argue through and resolve these issues resulted in a global organization that constitutes an important part of Farberow’s professional legacy, the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP). Today, the IASP consists of a consortium of National Associations, mental health agencies, clinicians, researchers, and survivors of suicide from more than fifty countries.