Mental health articles

Empirical treatment literature for suicidal behaviors Much of the limited suicide treatment literature is not specifi c to the late
adolescent and young adult suicidal patient. Indeed, in general there has been
a lack of research in the treatment of suicidality (Hawton et al., 1998; Linehan,
1997; Rudd, 2000). Linehan (1997) scrutinized all investigations that included
randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of psychosocial and behavioral interventions
for suicidal behaviors in adults and adolescents. Remarkably, only 20
studies were found that randomly assigned individuals to experimental treatment
groups, treatment-as-usual groups, and control groups. Four of these
studies showed a signifi cant effect for psychosocial interventions, and one
showed a signifi cant effect for pharmacotherapy. In addition, focused behavioral
interventions appeared to hold promise for reducing suicide attempts
and nonsuicidal self-injurious behaviors.

Tags: suicide