Jobes, D. A., & Barnett, J. E. (2024).
American Psychologist.
Abstract
Suicide is a major public and mental health problem in the United States and around the world. According to recent survey research, there were 16,600,000 American adults and adolescents in 2022 who reported having serious thoughts of suicide (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2023), which underscores a profound need for effective clinical care for people who are suicidal. Yet there is evidence that clinical providers may avoid patients who are suicidal (out of fear and perceived concerns about malpractice liability) and that too many rely on interventions (i.e., inpatient hospitalization and medications) that have little to no evidence for decreasing suicidal ideation and behavior (and may even increase risk). Fortunately, there is an emerging and robust evidence-based clinical literature on suicide-related assessment, acute clinical stabilization, and the actual treatment of suicide risk through psychological interventions supported by replicated randomized controlled trials. Considering the pervasiveness of suicidality, the life versus death implications, and the availability of proven approaches, it is argued that providers should embrace evidence-based practices for suicidal risk as their best possible risk management strategy. Such an embrace is entirely consistent with expert recommendations as well as professional and ethical standards. Finally, a call to action is made with a series of specific recommendations to help psychologists (and other disciplines) use evidence-based, suicide-specific, approaches to help decrease suicide-related suffering and deaths. It is argued that doing so has now become both an ethical and professional imperative. Given the challenge of this issue, it is also simply the right thing to do.
Public Significance Statement
Suicide is a major public and mental health problem in the United States and around the world. There are now proven clinical approaches that need to be increasingly used by mental health providers to help decrease suicidal suffering and save lives.
Here are some thoughts:
The article discusses the prevalence of suicidality in the United States and the importance of evidence-based care for suicidal patients. It highlights that many clinicians avoid working with suicidal patients or use interventions that lack empirical support, often due to fear and concerns about liability. The authors emphasize the availability of evidence-based psychological interventions and urge psychologists to adopt these practices. It is argued that utilizing evidence-based approaches is both an ethical and professional responsibility.
