Caring for the Suicidal Patient: New CAMH-led Resource Addresses Best Practices for Different Populations

One of the most tragic outcomes in our field is suicide. Studies show that almost 90% of suicides are carried out by people with a major mental health disorder. Eighty-three percent of these people have had at least one contact with a medical practitioner within a year of completed suicide (more than 60% have had contact within one month).   Tragically, some of us have personal stories of losing clients to suicide. But CAMH staff are working hard to help us better understand and offer more effective treatment in this area.

Dr. Isaac Sakinofsky, Head of the High Risk Consultation Clinic at CAMH and an internationally recognized author on suicide, led the development of Caring for the Suicidal Patient: An Evidence- Based Approach, a special supplement published in the June, 2007 issue of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. This timely and freely accessible compilation of knowledge focuses on the secondary and tertiary prevention of suicide -– that is, treatment of the individual after he/she becomes a client.

The contributors, including CAMH’s Drs. Sakinofsky, David Mamo, Shelley McMain, Robert Cardish and Adrian Grek, as well as others, provide a uniquely Canadian perspective on current, state-of-the-art, evidence-based treatments. The contributors sifted through treatment options and reviewed available scientific literature, producing a document that masterfully fuses academic rigor with clinical compassion -– reflecting the best knowledge of care, treatment and prevention of suicide.

This supplement addresses suicide issues in particular populations, such as children and adolescents, the elderly and people with schizophrenia. It presents some of the critical areas of treatment including the issue of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (or SSRIs, a class of antidepresssant medication) and suicide – an area of expertise for CAMH—as well as the sensitive matter of managing survivors’ bereavement. It is designed to help clinicians choose treatment options more wisely and extract the principles and methods of treatment that have been evaluated for efficacy in reducing suicidal behaviours.

As Dr. Sakinofsky explains, all the evidence points to the fact that no magic cure replaces excellent clinical care. But by educating ourselves through documents like Caring for the Suicidal Patient, we can more effectively treat suicidality in those already marginalized by mental illness.

Visit Article Summaries for a selection of chapters by CAMH staff.   A full copy of the supplement is available at: Caring for the Suicidal Patient (PDF only)

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