Fear of Psychiatric Hospitalization Keeps Men from Talking About Suicide

Fear of psychiatric inpatient hospitalization is one of the main reasons that older men who are at high risk for suicide don't talk about suicidal thoughts with their physicians, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Patient Education and Counseling.

Researchers discovered this finding as part of a pre-launch, stakeholder assessment of a multimedia program designed to encourage men to open up to their primary care providers about suicidal thoughts. Called MAPS, for Men and Providers Preventing Suicide, the program will eventually be integrated into doctors' office waiting areas.

Could Netflix's '13 Reasons Why' Web Series Influence Teen Suicides?
13 Reasons Why, a new Netflix web series titled in the US that has graphic depictions of suicide, could increase the risk of suicide among teenagers. More vulnerable teens are at a higher risk of suicide. Therefore, there is a need for parental supervision to prevent the suicidal tendency in these kids.

‘Suicide often preceded by suicide thoughts is a chief cause of death in men. A new study designs a multi-media program to encourage men to talk with their doctors about suicidal thoughts.’
Read More..

Tweet it Now

The MAPS assessment was led by Anthony Jerant, chair of family and community medicine at UC Davis Health.

"Our overall goal is to initiate comfortable conversations with men about mental health and its treatment in outpatient primary care settings," Jerant said. "Fear of hospitalization wasn't really on our radar, proving that stakeholder interviews are crucial to shaping the development of suicide-prevention interventions like ours."

Stakeholders who participated in the evaluation included 44 suicide survivors, prevention advocates, and family members of those who attempted or died by suicide.

Depression, Suicide Ideation More Common Among Medical Students
More than a quarter of medical school students report depressive symptoms; while 1 in 10 experiences suicide ideation.

Jerant and his team created MAPS because 80 percent of suicide deaths occur in men, with the biggest increase in the past two decades among men between the ages of 35 and 64. Also, nearly half of all adults who die by suicide saw a primary care clinician within the month before their deaths.

"Those statistics led us to ask, 'Is there something primary care providers might be able to do or say in office visits with men to change that outcome?" Jerant said. "In answering that question, MAPS was launched."

Many Preteens Screened Positive for Suicide Risk During Emergency Visits
A research has found nearly one-third of youth ages 10 to 12 years screened positive for suicide risk in emergency departments.

Interviewees provided helpful feedback on the overall program such as the need to focus more on visuals, use plain language, reinforce male identity in the content and ensure that primary care providers are prepared to respond to suicidal-thought disclosures. They also expressed the strong fear that disclosing suicidal thoughts to a physician always results in immediate hospitalization.

As a result, the researchers have added a video vignette to the intervention clarifying that hospitalization is typically not necessary and emphasizing treatment options.

Youth Suicide Rates May Up as Intentional Self-Poisoning Rates Double
Self-poisoning is the most common method of self-harm among children and teenagers. A new study finds that the number of self-poisoning cases in young people has alarmingly doubled in the last decade.

Jerant has also been evaluating the program as part of a randomized, controlled trial. If the results show that the intervention is effective, he hopes to integrate it throughout UC Davis Health and, potentially, other health systems. He also hopes that MAPS themes make their way into suicide interventions beyond doctors' offices as well.

"Reducing suicides will take a united effort that extends beyond the primary care provider's office," Jerant said. "Our insights could be useful to prevention efforts worldwide."

Source-Eurekalert