Disarming the Suicidal Mind: Evidence-Based Assessment and Intervention

• Discuss the rapidly expanding knowledge base concerning the epidemiology of suicide and self-harm
• Recognize risk factors associated with suicide attempts, as well as long-term and imminent warning signs
• Describe common assessment and intervention errors that can be lethal
• Identify ethical issues related to suicidal assessment and involuntary psychiatric commitment
• Outline comprehensive assessment/intervention strategies

From Triage to Tomorrow Suicide deaths have increased dramatically in recent years to nearly 40,000 Americans annually, a leap that has been attributed variously to the Great Recession, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and access to guns and prescription pain killers ? but what about medical error? Thirty-nine percent of suicide completers have been seen in an ER within the past year (many for mental health complaints and self-harm), while 59% of ER patients with injuries from deliberate self-harm do not receive a psychiatric assessment. Despite these trends, graduate training in assessment of imminent self-harm is often limited, offering little practical experience in counseling labs due to intake policies designed to avoid liability.
This course offers a revealing look inside the complex and rapidly expanding knowledge base concerning the epidemiology of suicide and self-harm, while exploring the most effective measures you can take to save your patients? lives. Learn to recognize risk factors associated with suicide attempts, as well as long-term and imminent warning signs, and accurately assess self-harm and suicide risk. Discover evidence-based interventions and explore the challenges of treatment across populations, including patients with addictive behaviors. Finally, we will deconstruct the emergency mental health protocols of today and identify common thinking errors leading to diagnostic and intervention mistakes that actually worsen crisis situations.