Authors: Steve Olson

Publication Year: 2019

Last Updated: 2019-10-01 12:30:09

Journal: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine/The National Academies Press.

Keywords: serious mental illness (SMI), early interventions, serious emotional disturbance, ZeroSuicide approach, preventative care

Abstract: 

The workshop was designed to illustrate and discuss what is known,
what is currently being done, and what needs to be done to identify and
reduce suicide risk among people with serious mental illness. Richard McKeon, chief of the Suicide Prevention Branch in the Centerfor Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), briefly spoke about why SAMHSA supported the workshop. Suicide rates have increased significantly in the United States
in recent years, he observed. A recent report from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that suicide had increased in 49
of 50 states between 1999 and 2016, and in half the states examined the
increase was greater than 30 percent

The workshop presentations and moderated discussions will examine opportunities
to prevent suicide among people with serious mental illness (SMI), including,
at minimum, bipolar disorder, major depression, schizophrenia, and borderline
personality disorder, as well as mood, anxiety, or other disorders that result in
significant functional impairment.

The workshop will:

• Highlight the patterns of mortality by suicide among people with SMI,
• Consider the implications of the relationship between SMI and suicide,
  and
• Examine interventions that can reduce the high risk of suicide in this
  population.

The workshop will also consider ways to:

• Improve and implement early interventions,
• Improve access to care among vulnerable populations with SMI, and
• Effectively target interventions to specific populations with unique needs.

The workshop consisted of six plenary panel presentations, a breakout
session on the second day, and opportunities to report back from the
breakout sessions and comment on the major themes and messages that
emerged from the workshop.

The workshop was designed to illustrate and discuss what is known,
what is currently being done, and what needs to be done to identify and
reduce suicide risk among people with serious mental illness.

• Psychological autopsy studies show that around 90 percent of those who die by suicide would meet criteria for at least one mental disorder.
• Critical windows exist for suicide risk, such as the week after
  discharge from a psychiatric admission or emergency department
  presentation for suicidal ideation or attempt, the first
  weeks after starting an antidepressant, and during significant
  life transitions.

The workshop presentations and moderated discussions will examine opportunities
to prevent suicide among people with serious mental illness (SMI), including,
at minimum, bipolar disorder, major depression, schizophrenia, and borderline
personality disorder, as well as mood, anxiety, or other disorders that result in
significant functional impairment.

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Source: Link to Original Article.

Source: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/25318/chapter/1

Type of Resource: Non-Peer Reviewed Journal Article