Please note: This is the general version of the course: Suicide Prevention and Intervention for Interprofessional Health Teams N509B. No pharmacology credits will be earned. Click here to take the pharmacology version.

Course Summary

Expiration Date: 10/19/2028

Suicide is a major global public health concern. An overview of suicide prevention for interprofessional health teams is discussed, covering the prevalence and trends of suicide, various theories of suicidology (stress-diathesis model, interpersonal theory of suicide), and evidence-based screening tools such as the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ), Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), Computerized Adaptive Screen for Suicidal Youth (CASSY), and Patient Safety Screener-3 (PSS-3). The importance of assessment, identifying risk factors, and accurate diagnosis of suicidality is highlighted, alongside appropriate intervention and treatment strategies. Standardized protocols have been developed for the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of suicidal ideation. There are modifiable factors, protective factors, and behaviors that mental health professionals should understand when considering interventions for the prevention and treatment of suicide in community and crisis care settings. The literature on suicidology and large-scale studies suggests that high suicide rates will continue for individuals in certain population groups. Access to national and global guidelines on suicide assessment and treatment is available for mental health teams for the development of a treatment plan, and throughout inpatient and outpatient care.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • PART ONE: SUICIDE PREVALENCE, TRENDS, AND THEORIES OF SUICIDOLOGY
    • Prevalence of Suicide
    • Trends on Suicide – CDC Data
    • Theories and Research on Suicide Prevention
  • Evidence-Based Screening for Suicidal Ideation in Clinical Practice
    • Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ): Use, Administration, Scoring, and Clinical Pathway
    • Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS): Versions, Assessment Domains, Scoring, and Risk Stratification
    • Computerized Adaptive Screen for Suicidal Youth (CASSY): Adaptive Technology, Scoring, and Application for Youth
    • Patient Safety Screener-3 (PSS-3): Acute Settings, Scoring, and Integration with Secondary Screeners
    • Clinical Considerations for Tool Selection and Implementation
  • PART TWO: ASSESSMENT, RISK FACTORS, AND DIAGNOSIS OF SUICIDALITY
  • Assessment of Suicidality
    • Terminology for the Assessment of Suicidal Behavior
    • Misconceptions of Suicidal Thoughts/Behaviors
    • Goals of Patient Assessment
  • Risk Factors for Suicide
    • Determination of Suicide Level of Risk
    • Multi-Association Suicide Assessment Guidelines  
    • Psychosocial Features of Suicidality
    • Biological or Genetic Suicide Risk Factors
    • Psychological and Sociological Risk Factors
  • Suicide Risk in Special Populations
    • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
    • Childhood Sexual Abuse Victims
    • Elderly
    • Adolescents
    • Unhoused People
    • Inmates
    • Physicians
    • Veterans
  • Culture and Ethnicity: Suicide Risk
    • Native Americans/Alaska Natives
    • African Americans
    • Hispanic/Latinos
    • Asian Americans
    • Immigrants
  • Mental Health Diagnoses and Suicide
    • Mood Disorders
    • Substance Use Disorders and Pathological Gambling
    • Schizophrenia
    • Anxiety and Sleep Disorders
    • Exposure to Violence and Trauma
    • Borderline Personality
    • Eating Disorders
    • Traumatic Brain Injury and Emotional Dysregulation
    • Stigma Associated with Psychiatric Disorders
  • PART 3: MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR SUICIDALITY
    • Management Strategies for Minimal and Low Risk
    • Interventions for Moderate Risk
    • Addressing High and Severe Risk
  • PART 4: PSYCHOTHERAPY, PHARMACOLOGY AND BRAIN STIMULATION TREATMENT
    • Outpatient Treatment
  • Case Study: Drug-induced Suicide Attempt
  • Psychotherapy Models
    • Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
    • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
    • Alliance-Based Therapy
  • Case Study: DBT in a Female with Suicidal Tendencies
    • Psychotherapy
    • Pharmacological Treatment
  • Pharmacologic Treatment for Suicidal Patients
    • Lithium
    • Clozapine
    • Ketamine
    • Antidepressants
    • Antipsychotics
  • Case Studies: Clozapine and Suicidality
  • Brain Stimulation Therapies
    • Electroconvulsive Therapy
    • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
  • Case Study: Brain Stimulation Therapy and Mood Stabilizer
    • Combination Treatment
  • Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Deep Brain Stimulation
    • Deep Brain Stimulation
  • Summary

Authors

Kathryn Brogan, MD

Kathryn Brogan, MD is a physician and board-certified general and child and adolescent psychiatrist. Dr. Brogan graduated from medical school at University of Louisville School of Medicine in 2016. She then completed Psychiatry Residency at Northwestern University and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at University of Utah, graduating in 2021. Dr. Brogan’s special interests and areas of expertise include first break psychosis, bipolar disorder, psychopharmacology, and systems of care. In addition to clinical and academic work, Dr. Brogan is passionate about advocacy, teaching, and physician-led team based care.

Lys Hunt, MSW, LICSW

Lys Hunt, MSW, LICSW earned her Master’s Degree from the Boston University School of Social Work and completed intensive postgraduate programs in family therapy and couples therapy through the Family Institute of Cambridge. Following these programs, she completed a post-graduate fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital in the department of child and adolescent psychiatry. Throughout her years of experience, Lys provided clinical services and supervision at both the Arbour-Choate Hospital in Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.  Her current clinical work specializes in the areas of mental health and child and family welfare.

Richard Daniels, PharmD, BCPS

Richard “Cole” Daniels earned his Doctor of Pharmacy(PharmD) from the Skaggs School of Pharmacy at the University of Montana in 2018. Throughout pharmacy school he completed a 3-year internship at Community Medical Center in Missoula, Montana in which he gained valuable experience in an acute care setting. Cole currently serves as a psychiatric clinical staff pharmacist at the Montana State Hospital. He has over 11 years of pharmacy experience having worked in several settings including retail, acute care, and inpatient psychiatric care. Cole has a diverse set of interests. However, acute care medicine, infectious disease, pain management, and asthma/COPD are a primary focus of his at the Montana State Hospital. He obtained board certification as a certified pharmacotherapy specialist in the Spring of 2022.