Implications of the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline among college students experiencing substance use crises

Substance use remains a significant concern across college campuses and is associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Low levels of student help‐seeking call for innovative forms of support that increase access to care. The new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has the potential to address this concern through free, 24/7 crisis support. Regression analyses concluded […]

Emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians’ views on EMS-delivered interventions to promote secure firearm storage practices

Introduction Lethal means safety counseling (LMSC) to promote secure firearm storage may reduce the risk of firearm-involved deaths, including suicide. We examined if emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians, including emergency medical technicians and paramedics, may be suitable LMSC messengers. Method We conducted a web-based survey of 229 US EMS clinicians. Results While few EMS clinicians […]

A profound absence of counseling interventions for suicide prevention among youth in Africa: A call to action based on an empty scoping review

Objective One-third of all global suicide deaths occur among adolescents and young adults, making suicide the second leading cause of death among young people. Nearly 80% of suicide deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and many African nations have higher rates of suicide than global averages. However, interventions are scarce. We conducted a scoping […]

Latent profile analysis of urges for suicidal and self-harming behavior: The role of social support instability

College counseling centers are seeing increasing rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among students. The high degree of need and limited resources underscores the need for novel approaches to identify at-risk students. We used latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify subgroups of students (n = 371) with different patterns of interpersonal factors and […]

School engagement and Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicide: Identity groups differences

The Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS) is a framework for understanding suicidality, yet there is little connection of IPTS to school environment, or exploration of this model within various populations. In this article, we conduct a cross-sectional assessment in a high school to understand the relationships between student engagement, IPTS, and suicidal behavior, to provide […]

Stakeholder perceptions of lethal means safety counseling: A qualitative systematic review

Introduction: Lethal means safety counseling (LMSC) is an evidence-based suicide prevention intervention during which providers encourage patients to limit their access to lethal means (e.g., firearms, medications). Despite agreement about the importance of LMSC, it is underutilized in clinical practice. Methods: To better understand the individual and contextual factors that influence LMSC and its implementation, we conducted […]

Older adults and planning for firearm safety: A qualitative study of healthcare providers

Purpose/Background Firearm injury, particularly self-directed, is a major source of preventable morbidity and mortality among older adults. Older adults are at elevated risk of serious illness, cognitive impairment, and depression—all known risk factors for suicide and/or unintentional injury. Healthcare providers are often the first to identify these conditions and, although they commonly deliver safety guidance […]

Mental health implications of suicide rates in South Africa

Mental health challenges are a severe issue that could lead to suicide if not properly addressed. South Africa has a significant burden of mental health issues, which contributes to the soaring rate of suicide. Adequate mental health-care provision could reduce the high suicide rate in South Africa. Since the apartheid regime, the country has made […]

Suicidal ideation and familicidal-suicidal ideation among individuals presenting to problem gambling services: A retrospective data analysis

Background: Studies have consistently reported high rates of suicidal ideation (SI) among individuals with disordered gambling. None have explored gambling-related familicidal-suicidal ideation (FSI). Aims: This study examined the (1) prevalence of SI and FSI among treatment-seeking gamblers in Hong Kong, (2) characteristic profile of factors associated with SI and FSI, and (3) factors that predict SI and […]

A comparison of treatment response between college students with and without suicide risk at university counseling centers

This study aims to explore the effect of University Counseling Center (UCC) treatment in a nationally representative sample of 101,354 college students with suicide risk variables (i.e. recent suicidal ideation (SI), recent SI and history of suicide attempts (SA), history of SA) as compared to those without suicide risk seeking services from 160 UCCs. Time […]

Network-based prediction of the disclosure of ideation about self-harm and suicide in online counseling sessions

Background In psychological services, the transition to the disclosure of ideation about self-harm and suicide (ISS) is a critical point warranting attention. This study developed and tested a succinct descriptor to predict such transitions in an online synchronous text-based counseling service. Method We analyzed two years’ worth of counseling sessions (N = 49,770) from Open Up, a […]

Changes in suicide-related indices at a student counseling center at a Japanese university before and after COVID-19

Suicides by university students in Japan have increased with the onset of the COVID- 19 pandemic. Changes in the suicidality of clients in student counseling centers are unknown. We compared OQ 45.2, suicidal risk, and suicidality before and after the pandemic, testing 1801 clients at the Student Counseling Center of University A in Japan. The […]

The clinical utility of spirituality and religion in meaning-making theory for suicide loss survivors: A scoping review

In the case of violent/traumatic loss due to a completed suicide, there can be an overwhelming and complicated grief reaction followed by a spiritual need for the process of sense making and finding meaning. Some emerging literature on suicide loss survivors (SLSs) denotes that suicide loss is more similar to other forms of bereavement but […]

Lethal means assessment and counseling in the emergency department: Differences by provider type and personal home firearms

Objective This study examined emergency department (ED) and behavioral health (BH) provider attitudes and behaviors related to lethal means screening and counseling of patients with suicide risk, specifically examining differences by provider type and whether providers had firearms in their own home. Methods Emergency department providers (physicians and mid-level practitioners) and behavioral health (BH) providers […]

Lifeline Crisis Chat: Coding form development and findings on chatters’ risk status and counselor behaviors

Objective This study aimed to develop a reliable tool for the abstraction of data from crisis chat transcripts; to describe chatters’ suicide risk status and selected counselor behaviors; and to examine the relationship of chatters’ self-reported pre-chat suicidal thoughts to counselor behaviors and to chatters’ disclosures of suicide risk during the chat conversation. Methods Coders […]

35 years of working with suicidal patients: Lessons learned.

An overview of issues encountered with suicidal patients in the career of Donald Meichenbuam. These include:THE WIDESPREAD INCIDENCE OF CLINICAL PRACTICE AND SUICIDE;IMPLICATIONS OF EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA AND SUICIDE;IMPLICATIONS OF A CONSTRUCTIVE NARRATIVE PERSPECTIVE OF SUICIDE;ASSESSMENT OF SUICIDAL IDEATION and SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR: NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES;CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS

Validation of the suicide counseling skills inventory

Background: The self-report measures used in evaluations of the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) program have tended not to detect an improvement in a broad range of suicide counseling skills from pre- to posttraining or among trainees with better skills at pretraining. Aims: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Suicide Counseling Skills […]

Spirituality and loss: Approaches for counseling grieving adolescents

The death of a loved one has serious implications for adolescent growth and development. The authors review relevant research on the grief process and spirituality in adolescence, and they give a rationale for integrating spirituality into adolescent grief work. By way of a case illustration, they draw implications for counselors’ use of spirituality in addressing […]

A randomized controlled trial of the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) versus treatment as usual for suicidal college students

This randomized controlled trial compared the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) and Treatment as Usual (TAU) for suicidal college students within a feasibility trial. Sixty-two suicidal college students were randomized to CAMS (n = 33) or TAU (n = 29). We hypothesized that those receiving CAMS would show more improvement in suicide-related measures, and effects would be […]

Lethal means counseling, distribution of cable locks, and safe firearm storage practices among the Mississippi National Guard: A factorial randomized controlled trial, 2018-2020

Objectives. To examine whether lethal means counseling and provision of cable locks prompt safe firearm storage relative to control among firearm-owning members of the Mississippi National Guard. Methods. This randomized controlled trial utilized a 2 × 2 factorial design (lethal means counseling vs control, provision of cable locks vs no cable locks). Follow-up assessments took place at […]

Association of the type of counselor with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts: A survey of South Korean adolescents

Background Counseling for adolescents who consider or attempt suicide may help reduce suicide rates. However, the impact of the type of counselor (e.g., father, mother, sibling, friend, teacher, other) on suicidal ideation/suicide attempts remains unclear. Therefore, we examined this association in Korean adolescents. Methods Using data from the 2015 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey […]

The practice of lethal means restriction counseling in US emergency departments to reduce suicide risk: A systematic review of the literature

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the US. Lethal means restriction (LMR), which encourages limiting access and reducing the lethality of particular methods of suicide, has been identified as a viable prevention strategy. For this approach to be successful, adequate education about risks and means must be communicated to families and individuals at […]

Counselling students’ experiences learning how to assess youth suicide risk

Suicide rates continue to rise in the United States, especially within our youth population. Preparing counselors to confidently address suicide risk with their clients is crucial in suicide prevention. The authors conducted a phenomenological investigation of a youth suicide prevention course with 10 counseling students. The course included both a didactic component and an experiential […]