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Stop A Suicide Today understands the vital role that health care providers play in the recognition, understanding, and management of suicidal individuals. To help you recognize and treat your at-risk patients and clients, check out some of the resources below.
Please note that we will continually update this page with the latest events, clinical information, resources and research.
Check back often.
In 2003, the American Psychiatric Association created a work group of distinguished psychiatrists in the field of suicide to create the Practice Guideline for the Assessment and Treatment of Patients with Suicidal Behaviors. After completing a comprehensive literature review with the development of evidence tables, the committee developed the guidelines for mental health professionals to use in the treatment and management of suicidal individuals. Readers are encouraged to review the complete Guideline in order to appreciate the full scope of the APA recommendations.
In addition, Douglas G. Jacobs, MD, Chair of the APA Guideline, coauthored two review articles that include case examples and highlight important issues in suicide assessment and treatment. The first article, APA Practice Guideline Provides Recommendations for Assessing and Treating Patients with Suicidal Behaviors, was published in the May 2004 issue of Psychiatric Annals and was edited by Dr. Jan Fawcett. The second article, Application of the APA Practice Guidelines on Suicide to Clinical Practice, was published in June of 2006 in CNS Spectrums. Both of these articles provide a brief overview of the Guidelines; however, it is strongly recommended that mental health professionals review the complete Guideline.
Screening for Mental Health recently developed the Suicide Assessment Five-step Evaluation and Triage (SAFE-T)* in collaboration with the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. This protocol is designed to help all clinicians, but specifically mental health professionals, to identify risk and protective factors for suicide, to learn the steps in conducting a suicide inquiry and then to determine the patient’s risk level for suicide, providing a range of possible interventions. The SAFE-T also highlights the importance of documentation. Laminated, pocket size cards of the SAFE-T are also available for a small fee. Click here for ordering information.
In 2007, the Joint Commission developed new patient safety goals that require accredited affiliations to establish suicide risk assessments, review immediate safety needs in treatment settings, and provide information to patients and family members for crisis situations. In response to these new patient safety goals on suicide, Screening for Mental Health and Dr. Douglas Jacobs developed a resource guide to help facilities address these issues. The Resource Guide* is based off the APA’s Practice Guidelines for the Assessment and Treatment of Patients with Suicidal Behavior and features the SAFE-T.
* The SAFE-T and Resource Guide can be distributed for non-commercial use
Suicide Assessment
In 2003, Douglas G. Jacobs, MD presented on Suicide Assessment as part of the University of Michigan Depression Center Colloquium Series. In this presentation, Dr. Jacobs explores suicide as a multi-factorial event and highlights areas to evaluate when conducting a suicide assessment.
Warning Signs of Suicide
In his presentation on the Warning Signs of Suicide, Lanny Berman, Ph.D., ABPP, executive director of the American Association of Suicidology, describes research on signs and risk factors.
Suicide Prevention Crisis Lines
Recent studies on Suicide Prevention Crisis Lines have highlighted the evidence supporting the effectiveness of the hotlines, as well as displaying areas of improvements. In this presentation, John Draper, Ph.D., project director at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, provides an overview of these studies and describes the goals and usefulness of the national line.
Responsible Reporting and Federal Legislation Updates
Brian Altman, JD, director of public policy and program development at the Suicide Prevention Action Network USA, describes the current best practices for the media, as well as SPAN USA’s current projects to “Open Minds, Changing Policy, and Saving Lives” in his presentation entitled Responsible Reporting and Federal Legislation Updates.
Douglas G. Jacobs, MD Editor
Written by top experts in the field of suicide, this definitive guide provides clinicians with information and strategies for appropriate responses to patients or clients who are at risk for suicide. This hands-on guide is written for those who have the common yet complex task of assessing suicidality in a patient or client - psychiatrists, primary care physicians, psychologists, psychotherapists, and other mental health professionals.
The book helps professionals determine the risk level for suicidal or at-risk patients and recommends a suicide assessment protocol that can be effectively incorporated into clinical practice. The authors also provide guidelines for intervening when a person is at risk for harming himself or herself.
Each of the volume's forty-eight contributors is an expert on an aspect of suicide assessment and intervention. The breadth of knowledge offered in this text speaks to the fact that suicide is a complex, multidimensional clinical problem that requires a wide range of methods for effective assessment and treatment.
Review from the American Association of Suicidology: "Clearly this is one of the most comprehensive guides available on suicide. It is a must read for every mental health professional and others devoted to helping people forced with a crisis. Provides a very clear and understandable approach to the phenomenology of suicide."
National Depression Screening Day – Provide your community with information on depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and suicide prevention, and increase your visibility as a resource by offering in-person screening and educational events and year round online screenings.
SOS Signs of Suicide Prevention Program – The SOS program is available for both middle and high schools. Both programs teach students and staff the signs of suicide and how to appropriately respond. The high school program also provides a screening tool to identify at risk youth and was the first school-based suicide prevention program to show a reduction in suicidal behavior in a randomized controlled study by reducing attempts by 40% in high school students exposed to the program. Click here to review the study published in 2004 in the American Journal of Public Health.
Mental Health Self Assessment Program - Support your local military personnel (active, reserved, retired) and veterans by informing them of MHSAP. Through this program, funded by the Department of Defense, all military personnel and their dependents can take a free and anonymous screening via telephone at 877.877.3647 or online at MilitaryMentalHealth.com. Referral information will be provided at the end of the screening for further follow-up and evaluation. Military and VA organizations can also register to receive free in-person screening material and personalized online screening.
- SPRC Training Workshops: Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk: core competencies for mental health professionals. This one-day workshop for mental health professionals and employee assistance professionals focuses on competencies that are core to assessing and managing suicide risk.
- SPRC Library: Clinical Resources. This website provides resources for social workers, emergency departments, nurses, primary care physicians and mental health professionals.
- AAS Prevention Resources: The prevention division of AAS is dedicated to suicide prevention through research, public policy and education. This website provides a useful list of available prevention resources.
- APA Public Service Announcement: In response to National Suicide Prevention Week, the APA created a PSA to raise awareness about suicide; hoping that the compelling message will help people who are struggling to regain a healthy mind and a healthy life.
- Glossary of Suicide Terms: These definitions strive to help you understand all about suicide and mental illness.
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