Young people’s pathways to a specialist suicide prevention service and the influence of caregiver prior suicidality and mental health treatment

Aim Timely help-seeking and pathways to care (PtC) have been linked to positive outcomes in suicidal adolescents. While the importance of formal contacts is recognized, caregivers also play a significant role in these pathways. Caregiver’s familiarity with mental health issues may influence an adolescent’s PtC. This study explores the relationship between a caregiver’s prior suicidality […]

Young people’s pathways to a specialist suicide prevention service and the influence of caregiver prior suicidality and mental health treatment

Aim Timely help-seeking and pathways to care (PtC) have been linked to positive outcomes in suicidal adolescents. While the importance of formal contacts is recognized, caregivers also play a significant role in these pathways. Caregiver’s familiarity with mental health issues may influence an adolescent’s PtC. This study explores the relationship between a caregiver’s prior suicidality […]

Worsening symptoms of anxiety, depression, and sleep problems in caregivers following youth’s suicide-related emergency department visit

Objective: Although families assume considerable responsibility in caring for their child after a suicidal crisis, little is known about caregiver well-being following a suicide-related pediatric Emergency Department (ED) visit. This study aimed to (1) describe the course of caregiver distress symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depression, and negative affect) and sleep problems following their child’s suicide-related ED visit […]

What is helpful and what is challenging for the caregivers of young people receiving interventions to prevent suicide? Caregivers’ perspectives — a rapid scoping review

Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death among young people. Preventing suicide in young people is a priority. Caregivers play a vital role in ensuring interventions for young people experiencing suicide ideation and/or attempts are implemented, and that they are maintained over time. Despite this, little is known about what caregivers find helpful and […]

Young people’s pathways to specialist suicide prevention service and the influence of caregiver prior suicidality and mental health treatment

Aim. Timely help-seeking and pathways to care (PtC) have been linked to positive outcomes in suicidal adolescents. While the importance of formal contacts is recognised, caregivers also play a significant role in these pathways. Caregiver’s familiarity with mental health issues may influence an adolescent’s  PtC. This study explores the relationship between a caregiver’s prior suicidality […]

Perspectives of service users and carers with lived experience of a diagnosis of personality disorder: A qualitative study

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: There is limited understanding of the experience of people with complex mental health (CMH) needs, including those with a diagnosis of personality disorder (PD) and carers of those individuals. Little is known about carers of those in inpatient forensic settings, yet it has been identified that they may have additional needs when compared to […]

At arm’s length: A qualitative study of suicide prevention barriers among those experience with suicide loss

Background: Little attention has been paid to the experiences of families and carers supporting and accessing support for individuals in the period preceding and following their death by suicide. For many families and carers who have experienced loss and been subjected to a series of unhelpful or harmful encounters with health and emergency services, there […]

“Suicide can’t always be prevented, but it can be postponed”: Lived experiences of providing care and support to people who suicide attempt, and those who have gone on to die by suicide. A report for the National Suicide Prevention Advisor and Suicide Prevention Taskforce.

This report is drawn from the analysis of two datasets; 1) University of New England, Lived Experience of Suicide Study (2019-2020) and 2) a collaborative project between the University of New England and SANE Australia – the Better Support project (2017-2020). Each dataset is analysed through the lens of seeking to understand the carer experience, […]

The impact of patient suicide on the professional reactions and practices of mental health caregivers and social workers

Background: Mental health and social professionals are at high risk of experiencing at least one patient suicide during their career. Aims: This paper investigates the impact of patient suicide on the reactions and working practices of mental health and social professionals. It also examines how such an impact may vary depending on the professionals’ characteristics, their relationship […]

Predictors of caregiver burden among carers of suicide attempt survivors

Background: Family members often provide informal care following a suicide attempt. Carers may be vulnerable to caregiver burden. Yet, little is known about what contributes to this. Aims: To determine the predictors of caregiver burden in those carers who support people who have attempted suicide. Method: An online survey of 435 participants assessed exposure to suicide, caring behaviors, and psychological […]

Caregiver experiences of adolescent school reentry after adolescent hospitalization due to suicidal thoughts and behaviors: Recommendations to improve reentry practices

Background Suicide rates among adolescents increased over the past few decades. Following psychiatric hospitalization, many adolescents return to school, a context that can influence recovery. Families can play an integral role in supporting adolescents through the hospitalization and school reentry process; however, little research has focused on family experiences during adolescent school reentry. Grounded in […]

Caring for a friend or family member who has experienced suicidal behaviour: A systematic review and qualitative synthesis

Purpose Friends and family members can be important sources of support for people who are or have been suicidal. This review aimed to synthesise qualitative evidence regarding carers’ perspectives of supporting someone who has experienced suicidal behaviour. Methods Five electronic databases (Web of Science, CINAHL, PsychINFO, MEDLINE, and SocINDEX) were searched from inception to May […]

Effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for family members and other informal support persons of individuals who have made a suicide attempt: A systematic review

Background: Individuals recovering from a suicide attempt may benefit from support provided by informal carers, that is, family members and other support persons, who may require support themselves. Aims: This systematic review aims to identify and synthesize available literature on the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for this carer population. Method: A search of peer-reviewed literature in five databases was carried […]

Might informal carers of adults with enduring suicidality experience anticipatory loss?

Carers of loved ones who repeatedly express suicidal intent and/or engage in suicidal behavior may experience a sense of anticipation of eventual suicide due to the potential of a fatal act of self-harm. An understanding of John Rolland’s concept of anticipatory loss may help clinicians understand and attend to the experiences of carers of adults […]

COVID‑19 lockdown – who cares? The first lockdown from the perspective of relatives of people with severe mental illness

Background Informal care is vital to many people with severe mental illness under normal circumstances. Little is known about how extraordinary circumstances affect relatives with a family member with mental illness. This study investigated the consequences of the first COVID-19 lockdown in Norway from the perspective of relatives of persons with psychotic- and/or bipolar disorders: […]

Research brief: Behaviors of supportive parents and caregivers for LGBTQ youth

Parental and caregiver actions can play a pivotal role in the mental health of LGBTQ youth. Across multiple studies, a strong parent/caregiver-child relationship has been found to support good mental health among LGBTQ youth (Bouris et al., 2010). Research from the Family Acceptance Project has found that LGBTQ young adults who report high levels of family acceptance […]

Understanding suicide risk in people with dementia and family caregivers in South Korea: A systematic review

Dementia-related suicide is not well known. This study aimed to understand the characteristics of suicide risk among people with dementia and dementia family caregivers in South Korea. According to a systematic review of PRISMA guidelines, six electronic databases were searched for research published from 2010 to 2021. Ten studies were included. Among the included studies […]

Better off with you: Exploring congruity between caregivers’ and Veterans’ experience of efforts to cope with suicide

The interpersonal theory of suicide posits people are more likely to consider suicide when they perceive themselves as alone and as a burden. However, there is limited research on whether these self-perceptions reflect caregiver experiences. As part of a larger study of collaborative safety planning, 43 Veteran/caregiver dyads (N = 86 individuals) completed measures of belongingness and […]

Caregiving as suicide-prevention: An ecological 20-country study of the association between men’s family carework, unemployment, and suicide

Purpose Suicide rates are generally higher in men than in women. Men’s higher suicide mortality is often attributed to public-life adversities, such as unemployment. Building on the theory that men’s suicide vulnerability is also related to their private-life behaviors, particularly men’s low engagement in family carework, this ecological study explored the association between men’s family […]

Everyday ethics of suicide care: Survey of mental health care providers’ perspectives and support needs

Suicide occurs in people of all ages and backgrounds, which negatively affects families, communities, and the health care providers (HCPs) who care for them. The objective of this study was to better understand HCPs’ perspectives of everyday ethical issues related to caring for suicidal patients, and their perceived needs for training and/or support to address […]

Suicide prevention: The role of families and carers

Families and carers can play an important role in helping prevent suicide. Unfortunately, silence and secrecy within the family environment have sometimes prevented family members from intervening to potentially change the course of suicide intent. This article describes a family-oriented assessment process that can facilitate family-involvement in care. Suicide risk assessment requires a skilled interview […]

‘It’s changed how we have these conversations’: Emergency department clinicians’ experiences implementing firearms and other lethal suicide methods counseling for caregivers of adolescents

Counseling parents to reduce access to firearms and other potentially lethal suicide methods is commonly known as lethal means counseling (LMC). The current study explores the experiences that emergency department-based behavioural health clinicians described having as they provided lethal means counseling to parents of adolescents at risk for suicide. Clinicians were purposively sampled from four […]

Healers need healing too: Results from the Good Road of Life training

Mental health professionals that work with American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations are often viewed as ineffective because their professional training is based on a Western model of service delivery that is an extension of Western colonization. Research on effective training approaches for AI/AN mental health providers or mental health professionals that work with […]