Erwin Ringel (27 April 1921 - 28 July 1994) was an Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist who dedicated his life to suicide prevention and who, in 1960, defined the presuicidal syndrome.
In 1948 he founded the world's first suicide prevention center in Vienna, and in 1960 he founded the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
Erwin Ringel was born in Timișoara, Romania to a Banat Swabian family, nonetheless his parents already lived in Hollabrunn, Austria.
In 1926 his family moved to Vienna which gave young Erwin the opportunity to visit Vienna's famous Operahouse and Burgtheater.