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We are pleased to introduce a new short series of articles in Partners in
Health Update℠,
"Suicide: A concern for all health care providers", that is designed to provide
you
with information on suicide and the importance of your role in assessing your
patients who may be at risk.
Part 1 ? An introduction to recognizing the role of all
health care providers to address the issue of suicide
Historically, suicide has been a focus of those in the Behavioral Health
specialty. Today, all health care professionals
–not just those who work in Behavioral Health – are being asked to
make suicide prevention a priority for the patients in their
practice.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, and
according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), there has been a steady increase in suicides each year since
1999.1 The two age groups with the
most significant increase are ages 45 – 54 with a 5.8 percent increase
and ages 55 – 64 with a 5.9 percent increase.
This information indicates that this important health issue needs to be
addressed.
Your role in assessing risk of suicide
Magellan Healthcare and AmeriHealth are leading the way to support a
safety-oriented culture for members receiving
any health care services. This partnership is providing guidance that is
evidence-based to assure ongoing quality of
care.
Since we do not have definitive information to determine what makes a person
suicidal, we need to rely on evaluating
risk factors. The role of the health care provider is to evaluate the risk
factors to determine interventions that can keep
a person safe.
Social determinants include healthy connectedness. This is not just for the
time the person spends in your office but
reinforces the need for you to encourage the patient to use community
resources.
Clinical risk factors include many of the reasons that the individual has
come to seek care from both the primary care
and behavioral health provider. Some of these issues may be pain, insomnia,
anxiety, suicidal thoughts, making a
plan, and feeling hopeless or like a burden. In addition, substance use/abuse
and trauma are risk factors that need to
be assessed. As we assess for suicide, all health care professionals need to
explore any passive ideation as well as
active suicidal ideation because they can be associated with
morbidity.2
As we work towards a "Zero Suicide" goal, team effectiveness is crucial.
Communication among all providers, the
individual, and the individual's support system can bring us closer to reaching
this goal.
1Centers for Disease Control: National Vital Statistics Report.
Deaths Final Data for 2010. 61:4. May 8, 2013.
2Baca-Garcia E, Perez-Rodriguez MM, Oquendo MA, et al. Estimating
risk for suicide attempt: are we asking the right questions?
Passive
suicidal ideation as a marker for suicidal behavior. J Affect Disord.
2011;134(1-3):327-332.
Magellan Healthcare, Inc. manages mental health and
substance abuse benefits for most AmeriHealth members.
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