Evaluating Potential Iatrogenic Effects of a Suicide-Focused Research Protocol

Crisis ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather T. Schatten ◽  
Kenneth J. D. Allen ◽  
Emily C. Carl ◽  
Ivan W. Miller ◽  
Michael F. Armey

Abstract. Background: Concerns regarding the potential iatrogenic effects of suicide assessment have long impeded suicide research. Aims: We sought to examine the effects of an intensive, suicide-focused assessment protocol on mood, suicidality, and urges to harm oneself or others. Method: Participants were adults admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit for recent suicidal ideation or behavior, or reasons unrelated to suicide. Our study protocol included clinical interviews evaluating suicide history and laboratory tasks with suicide-related stimuli. We modified an existing measure to create a brief, 6-item interview, the Assessment Session Check-In, which was administered before and after research procedures. Results: These indicated overall reductions in distress, suicidal intent, and urges to harm oneself or others from preassessment to postassessment. Postassessment reductions in stress predicted lower likelihood of a suicide attempt at follow-up. Limitations: Although beneficial to examine a high-risk sample, it is possible that an intensive suicide-focused protocol could prove more problematic for those with lower baseline levels of negative affect and suicidal thoughts. Conclusions: Results challenge the belief that assessing suicide elevates distress or suicidality, even among a high-risk sample of adults admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit.

Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 367-374
Author(s):  
Sarah P. Carter ◽  
Brooke A. Ammerman ◽  
Heather M. Gebhardt ◽  
Jonathan Buchholz ◽  
Mark A. Reger

Abstract. Background: Concerns exist regarding the perceived risks of conducting suicide-focused research among an acutely distressed population. Aims: The current study assessed changes in participant distress before and after participation in a suicide-focused research study conducted on a psychiatric inpatient unit. Method: Participants included 37 veterans who were receiving treatment on a psychiatric inpatient unit and completed a survey-based research study focused on suicide-related behaviors and experiences. Results: Participants reported no significant changes in self-reported distress. The majority of participants reported unchanged or decreased distress. Reviews of electronic medical records revealed no behavioral dysregulation and minimal use of as-needed medications or changes in mood following participation. Limitations: The study's small sample size and veteran population may limit generalizability. Conclusion: Findings add to research conducted across a variety of settings (i.e., outpatient, online, laboratory), indicating that participating in suicide-focused research is not significantly associated with increased distress or suicide risk.


2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Amore ◽  
Cristina Tonti ◽  
William Esposito ◽  
Stefano Baratta ◽  
Domenico Berardi ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 570-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth K. Reynolds ◽  
Marco A. Grados ◽  
Nancy Praglowski ◽  
Jessica C. Hankinson ◽  
Renee Deboard-Lucas ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Beatriz Merayo-Sereno ◽  
Aránzazu Fernández-Rivas ◽  
Keyth Lany de Oliveira-Silva ◽  
Francisco-Javier Sánchez-Andérez ◽  
Eva Sesma-Pardo ◽  
...  

AbstractThe admission of an adolescent to a child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit has a serious impact on the entire family unit. The emotional experience of those primary caregivers has been scarcely studied qualitatively despite being recommended by previous research. This study aims to examine the experience of parents of adolescents with mental health needs that required psychiatric hospitalization in a child and adolescent unit. Qualitative cross-sectional research was carried out under the recommendations of Grounded Theory with three Focus Groups of parents (N = 22) of adolescents who required psychiatric hospitalization in a child and adolescent ward. The COREQ quality criteria were applied. The parental experience implies a high level of emotional suffering modulated by feelings of guilt, stigma, parental awareness of their child’s illness and the passage of time. The use of Prochaska’s and Diclemente’s trans-theoretical model of health behavior change is useful in understanding the parental experience.


2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 984-992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Costa de Oliveira ◽  
Jacó Fernando Schneider ◽  
Cíntia Nasi ◽  
Marcio Wagner Camatta ◽  
Agnes Olschowsky

ABSTRACT We aimed to understand the expectations of families about a Psychiatric Inpatient Unit in the perspective of Alfred Schutz's phenomenological sociology. This is a qualitative and phenomenological research, with families of patients at a psychiatric inpatient unit of a university hospital in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data were collected through phenomenological interviews, and the analysis was constructed in the light of phenomenological sociology. The results show that the expectations of the family in the Psychiatric Inpatient Unit are related to the interpretation and experiences they have in the world of everyday life; that these expectations should be valued in patient and family care; and that they may integrate the family in care for the patient. We hope to contribute so that professionals and managers reflect about the importance of understanding the expectations of families on a Unit, aiming to implement more effective health actions, based on the social relations among the subjects.


1995 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Kosky ◽  
Tom Burns

Forty of 46 consecutive admissions to a psychiatric inpatient unit were encouraged to read their admission notes and discuss them with the Junior doctor. The offer was withheld for two patients with organic impairment. Twenty-eight patients (including 12 on compulsory admissions) accepted the offer. The 12 who refused were characterised by overall lower educational attainment. Diagnosis raised only a few problems, prognosis and maintenance treatment being the focus of most discussions. There was no evidence of a deterioration in the quality of notes or therapeutic relationships as a consequence of access. Only in one case was the exercise judged ‘harmful’, but ‘useful or essential’ in 22. Possible benefits for both patients and doctor are explored.


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