CONTENTS

About This Course

Table of Contents

1. The Nature and Scope of Suicide
2. Recognizing the Progressive Development of Suicide
3. Substance Abuse as a Major Contributor to Suicide
4. Suicide Across the Life Span
5. Special Populations and Suicide Risk
6. Prevention and Early Intervention for Suicide and Substance Abuse Problems

Supplements
References
Resources

Holding the Lifeline
A Guide to Suicide Prevention

Treatment for Suicidal Behaviors

Effective treatments for suicidal behaviors are available, even among high-risk groups, such as those individuals who have had a prior suicide attempt. Researchers supported by the National Institute of Mental Health and the CDC found that a targeted form of cognitive therapy reduced repeat suicide attempts by 50 percent. ref

The study recruited 120 patients admitted to the emergency room for suicide attempts. The participants were:

• On average in their mid-thirties
• 61 percent female
• 60 percent Black
• 35 percent White
• 77 percent had major depression
• 68 percent had a substance use disorder

Patients were randomly assigned to a cognitive therapy designed to prevent suicide or to the usual care available through services in the community. Compared to the usual care available in the community, the cognitive therapy designed to prevent suicide proved better at lifting depression and feelings of hopelessness. ref

The cognitive therapy intervention consisted of 10 outpatient weekly or biweekly sessions to help patients:

• Find more effective ways of looking at their problems
• Learn new ways to handle negative thoughts and feelings of hopelessness

Additional sessions were provided to those participants who failed to complete a relapse prevention task. The task required participants to focus on the events, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that led to previous suicide attempts and explained how they could respond in a more adaptive way.

One of the promising aspects of the intervention is that the short-term nature of cognitive therapy makes it a good candidate for treatment of suicide attempters at community mental health centers.