Kaleidoscope - Volume 217 , Issue 3

Tracy, Derek K.; Joyce, Dan W.; Albertson, Dawn N.; Shergill, Sukhwinder S.

Abstract

We're all familiar with the mantra that while self-harm is common, suicide is ‘rare’ and prediction ‘difficult’. Can we at least have confidence in suicide-prevention interventions? A meta-analysis examined subsequent suicide attempts following a brief, single-encounter, suicide-prevention intervention in 14 studies covering 4270 individuals.Reference Doupnik, Rudd, Schmutte, Worsley, Bowden and McCarthy1 The majority of interventions were multi-aspect, typically including care coordination, safety planning, short-term follow-up contacts and a brief therapeutic intervention. The specific therapeutic component varied between studies, but included techniques informed variously by motivational interviewing, problem-solving and increasing likelihood of engaging with mental health services. The interventions did reduce subsequent suicide attempts, with a pooled odds ratio of 0.69; this equates to about 78 fewer suicide attempts in 2241 patients. There was increased linkage to clinical engagement with a 22.5% increase in attending follow-up, but interestingly, no association with any reduction in depressive symptoms. The findings are heartening, and we are reminded how a very significant number of people who die by suicide have contact with services in the days and weeks prior to their death. These findings encourage wider roll-out of such specific interventions across clinical services, and a need for clarification of the aspects that work best and in whom.

• Journal Article Type: Editorial
• Online Publication Date: Aug 28, 2020
• Publication Date: Sep 3, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jun 21, 2023
• Journal: British Journal of Psychiatry
• Print ISSN: 0007-1250
• Electronic ISSN: 1472-1465
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 217
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 532-533
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.145
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10881790
• Publisher URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/kaleidoscope/8DD4D48E9C495346DCE61C1E06448145