AN innovative phone app has been created to help people when they are feeling suicidal.

The groundbreaking technology, called #StayAlive, was developed in Sussex and will be officially launched next month.

Once downloaded to a phone, the app can be used in any part of the country.

It will automatically use a person’s location to draw in details and information about services and help available in that area.

The app will also have a section called Life Box, where people can upload pictures which can remind a person about positive things in their life.

This could include images of children and family, a holiday, pet or simply a favourite view or image.

There will also be a myth-busting section about what feeling suicidal can mean and information and hints about what to do when you have suicidal thoughts.The app was commissioned by Brighton-based suicide prevention charity Grassroots and the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health services across the county.

It was developed by Eastbourne-based digital company Switchplan.Details of the phone app will be showcased at an inaugural suicide prevention conference being held at the University of Sussex on July 22.

The event aims to get businesses, public bodies and individuals talking about suicide and working together to support people who are vulnerable.It will feature films from people who have been affected by suicide in the past and discuss future plans for suicide prevention across Sussex and the country. A Sussex Partnership spokeswoman said: “Suicide is everyone's business.

“It devastates so many lives no matter who you are, where you work or where you live. We want to use technology, communities and every method available to us to make Sussex, and beyond, a place where people thinking about suicide are supported and helped in their work place and their community.”