A brand-new study offers renewed hope for families who have concerns about preventing teen and young adult suicide. Researchers from Kaiser Permanente Northwest and UCLA evaluated the “stratified stepped-care” suicide prevention method of delivering different levels of care to those young adults based on their particular level of risk over the course of 12 months. The results showed that, compared to youth who received standard quality-improvement care, youth receiving stepped-care services had a 54% lower risk of self-harming behavior.
Using this model, suicide prevention occurs on an individual basis for each young person. Youth considered to be low risk may receive regular follow-up check-ins and digital tools through their treatment, as well as brief therapy sessions, while youth considered to be high risk receive much more frequent appointments, specialized therapies, and quicker post-crisis follow-up. The intent of the stepped-care model is to develop an individualized method for providing “right care at the right time” rather than employing a “one size fits all” method for suicide prevention. This study also found that youth in the stepped-care group showed significant reductions in depression symptoms and had greater satisfaction with their care.
Many families have described their experience with the present system as being disjointed and confusing. The findings of this study provide evidence that it is possible to create a more structured, humane approach to suicide prevention. The key difference between passing out crisis hotline numbers to individuals in crisis versus developing step-care teams who monitor suicide risk over time, make any modifications to the suicide prevention plan as necessary, and provide ongoing support; is that while there were no deaths in either group during this study, there were statistically fewer suicide attempts throughout the study than would have been anticipated; therefore the data demonstrates that committed and consistent approaches to suicide prevention can create change.
According to experts, implementation of this model on a national basis will require significant financial investment by communities; clinicians must be trained to track risk levels in order to accurately assess and provide appropriate services based on individuals’ needs; there must be systems in place that allow clinicians to communicate with each other in real time regarding the monitoring and assessment of risk to facilitate appropriate referral and follow-up care; and finally suicide prevention is viewed by experts not only as a health care issue but as a relational issue; individuals (particularly youth) who perceive they are being seen and valued will be more inclined to participate in their own health care.
For those communities that are searching for more effective ways to prevent the loss of young lives to suicide, this study provides a guide: using both data-driven methods of assessing risk levels and using individualised and caring approaches to prevention will be significant factors in reducing youth suicides in this country.
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