Emergency Responders Management of Patients Who May Have Attempted Suicide

Abstract

According to Lanny Berman, Ph.D., a psychologist who is the Executive Director of the American Association of Suicidology, EMS professionals' role in managing patients at risk for suicide or who have attempted suicide is critical: To the regard that someone has not already carried out a fatal act, EMS professionals play an extraordinarily important role in helping to have an emergency intervention or a rescue occur and transporting the patient to a medical or mental health facility. Dr. Berman continued, People who have made an attempt or who are threatening a lethal attempt are quite at risk for another attempt... in fact about 30 to 40 percent of individuals who kill themselves have attempted suicide before--so the effectiveness of that intervention is extraordinarily important in relation to the future life or potential death of that individual. Dr. Berman emphasized that one of the factors that decreases the risk for subsequent suicidal behavior is if the patient is treated with respect and is engaged in a caring way by professionals. Another expert who spoke about the role of EMS professionals is Douglas Jacobs, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. The information that EMS professionals bring to the emergency department is very important, said Dr. Jacobs, who served as the Chairperson for the American Psychiatric Association's Practice Guideline for the Assessment and Treatment of Patients with Suicidal Behaviors and was the Editor of The Harvard Medical School Guide to Suicide Assessment and Intervention. Additionally, Dr. Jacobs is the Founder and Executive Director of for Mental Health http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org, a non-profit organization that provides screenings for depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and alcohol problems. In conjunction with offering its National Depression Screening Day, for Mental Health introduced a unique suicide intervention training called SOS: Signs of Suicide.