- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- 4.7.1 Generalized anxiety disorders
- 4.7.2 Social anxiety disorder and specific phobias
- 4.7.3 Panic disorder and agoraphobia
- 4.8 Obsessive–compulsive disorder
- 4.9 Depersonalization disorder
- 4.10 Disorders of eating
- 4.11 Sexuality, gender identity, and their disorders
- 4.12 Personality disorders
- 4.13 Habit and impulse control disorder
- 4.14 Sleep–wake disorders
- 4.15 Suicide
- 4.15.1 Epidemiology and causes of suicide
- 4.15.2 Deliberate self-harm: epidemiology and risk factors
- 4.15.3 Biological aspects of suicidal behaviour
- 4.15.4 Treatment of suicide attempters and prevention of suicide and attempted suicide
- 4.16 Culture-related specific psychiatric syndromes
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Treatment of suicide attempters and prevention of suicide and attempted suicide
- Chapter:
- Treatment of suicide attempters and prevention of suicide and attempted suicide
- Author(s):
Keith Hawton
and Tatiana Taylor
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0124
Suicide attempts occur for a wide range of reasons. In many cases the primary aim is not death but some other outcome, such as demonstrating distress to other people, seeking a change in other people’s behaviour or temporary escape. This means that a broad range of treatments are required since the needs of individual patients will vary widely. Treatments for suicide attempters include both psychosocial and pharmacological approaches. While these are considered separately below, in some patients both will be appropriate. This might be the case, for example, if a patient suffers from depression with biological features in the setting of employment and financial difficulties, when treatment with an antidepressant might be combined with problem-solving therapy. Suicide prevention programmes have been established in many countries. This is to be welcomed, not only because of the potential benefits in terms of suicide prevention, but also because of the likely benefits for the broader population of individuals with mental health problems. When considering prevention strategies, it is important to be aware of and sensitive towards issues relating to culture and ethnicity.
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- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- 4.7.1 Generalized anxiety disorders
- 4.7.2 Social anxiety disorder and specific phobias
- 4.7.3 Panic disorder and agoraphobia
- 4.8 Obsessive–compulsive disorder
- 4.9 Depersonalization disorder
- 4.10 Disorders of eating
- 4.11 Sexuality, gender identity, and their disorders
- 4.12 Personality disorders
- 4.13 Habit and impulse control disorder
- 4.14 Sleep–wake disorders
- 4.15 Suicide
- 4.15.1 Epidemiology and causes of suicide
- 4.15.2 Deliberate self-harm: epidemiology and risk factors
- 4.15.3 Biological aspects of suicidal behaviour
- 4.15.4 Treatment of suicide attempters and prevention of suicide and attempted suicide
- 4.16 Culture-related specific psychiatric syndromes
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry