The Efficacy of No-Suicide Contracts With Clients in Counseling on an Outpatient Basis

Clients at 2 outpatient facilities who self-identified as having expressed suicidal thoughts or engaged in suicidal behaviours during some point in their counselling treatement were invited to participate in a survey to assess their perception of the relative effectiveness of 22 treatment methods in order to determine the perceived efficacy of no-suicide contracts as compared to other treatment methods. Results of multiple regression analysis & criterion-coding techniques indicated the use of no-suicide contracts was perceived by the participants to be the least effective treatment method of those assessed. No positive correlation between age, gender, time in treatment, or number of suicide attempts & the perceived relative effectiveness of the treatment methods was found.