Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T19:45:23.244Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Telephone contact with patients in the year after a suicide attempt: does it affect treatment attendance and outcome? A randomised controlled study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

M. Cedereke*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Lund University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden
K. Monti
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Lund University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden
A. Öjehagen
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Lund University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden
*
*Correspondence and reprints. E-mail address: [email protected] (M. Cedereke).
Get access

Summary

Ambivalence to treatment and repeated suicidal behaviour are well-known problems in suicide attempters. A randomised controlled study was performed to investigate the influence of repeated telephone contacts on treatment attendance, repetition of suicidal behaviour and mental health the year after a suicide attempt.

Subjects and methods

One month after their suicide attempt 216 patients were randomised to either two telephone interventions in addition to treatment as usual, or no such intervention during the subsequent year. The interventions included motivational support to attend and/or to stay in treatment. At 1 month and again after 12 months the following measurements were used: GSI (SCL-90), GAF and SSI.

Results

At follow-up treatment attendance was high and did not differ between the randomised groups. Among those with an initial treatment contact other than psychiatric, more patients in the intervention group had such contact at follow-up. The randomised groups did not differ in repetition of suicide attempts during follow-up or in improvement in GSI (SCL-90), GAF and SSI. In individuals with no initial treatment the intervention group improved more in certain psychological symptom dimensions (SCL-90).

Conclusions

Telephone interventions seem to have an effect on patients who at their suicide attempt had other treatment than psychiatric and in those with no treatment.

Type
Original article
Copyright
Copyright © Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS. 2002

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 3rd Ed. (Rev.). Washington, DC: APA; 1987.Google Scholar
Andersen, BBille-Brahe, U. Aftercare of suicide attempters. In: Bille-Brahe, U Schiödt, H Eds. 4th European Symposium on Suicidal Behaviour. The Odense suicide prevention project. Intervention and Prevention. Odense: University Press; 1994. p. 177–84.Google Scholar
Andersen, UAAndersen, MRosholm, JUGram, LF. Contacts to health care system prior to suicide: a comprehensive analysis using registers for general and psychiatric hospital admission, contacts to general practitioners and practising specialists and drug prescriptions. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2000 ; 102 : 126–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Appleby, LShaw, JAmos, TMcDonnell, RHarris, CMcCann, K et al. Suicide within 12 months of contact with mental health services: National clinical survey. Br Med J 1999 ; 318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beck, AHerman, ISchuyler, D. Development of suicidal intent scales. In: Beck, ATRHLettieri, D Eds. The prediction of suicide. Bowie: Charles Press; 1974. p. 45–6.Google Scholar
Beck, AKovacs, MWeissman, A. The Scale for Suicide Ideation. J Consult Clin Psychol 1979 ; 47 : 343–52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Borg, S.Active intervention and comprehensive services following suicide attempts: a community-based program. In: Bille-Brahe, USchiödt, H Eds. 4th European Symposium on Suicidal Behaviour. The Odense suicide prevention project. Intervention and prevention. Odense: University Press; 1994. p. 159–67.Google Scholar
Derogatis, L.SCL-90: administration, scoring and procedure manual for the revised version of the SCL-90. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; 1979.Google Scholar
Evans, MOMorgan, HGHayward, AGunell, DJ. Crisis telephone consultation for deliberate self-harm patients: effects on repetition. Br J Psychiatry 1999 ; 175 : 3–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Foster, TGillespie, KMcClelland, R. Mental disorders and suicide in Northern Ireland. Br J Psychiatry 1997 ; 170 : 447–52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gilbody, SHouse, AOwens, D. The early repetition of deliber-ate self harm. J R Coll Physicians Lond 1997 ; 31 : 171–2.Google ScholarPubMed
Guthrie, NKapur, NMackway-Jones, KChew-Graham, CMoorey, JMendel, E et al. Randomised controlled trial of brief psychological intervention after deliberate self poisoning. Br J Psychiatry 2001 ; 322 : 1–5.Google Scholar
Hawton, KAresman, ETownsend, EBremner, SFeldman, EGoldney, R et al. Deliberate self harm: systematic review of efficacy of psychosocial and pharmacological treatments in preventing repetition. Br Med J 1998 ; 317 : 441–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hawton, KCatalan, J. Attempted suicide: a practical Guide to its nature and management, 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1987.Google Scholar
Hawton, KFagg, J. Suicide and other causes of death following attempted suicide. Br J Psychiatry 1988 ; 152 : 259–66.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holley, HFick, GLove, EJ. Suicide following an inpatient hospitalisation for a suicide attempt: a Canadian follow-up study. Soc Psychiatry Epidemiol 1998 ; 33 : 543–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Katon, WRutter, CLudman, EJVon Korff, MLin, ESimon, G et al. A randomized trial of relapse prevention of depression in primary care. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2001 ; 58 : 241–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kerkhof, AArems, EBille-Brahe, UCrepet, PDe Leo, DHjelmeland, H et al. Repetition of attempted suicide: results from the WHO/EU Multicentre Study on Parasuicide, repetition-prediction part. 7th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour. Ghent: University Press; 1998.Google Scholar
Kreitman, NPhilip, AE. Reflections on the management of parasuicide. Br J Psychiatry 1979 ; 115 : 746–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Linehan, MArmstrong, HESuare, AAllmond, DHeard, HL. Cognitive-behavioural treatment of chronically parasuicidal borderline patients. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1991 ; 48 : 1060–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, HJones, EMOwen, JH. Secondary prevention of non-fatal deliberate self-harm. The green card study. Br J Psychiatry 1993 ; 163 : 111–2.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Motto, JBoström AG. Post-crisis suicide preventing without therapy. Alcohol Dis 1993 ; 5 : 564–7.Google Scholar
Möller, H. Efficiency of different strategies in after-care for patients who have attempted suicide. J R Soc Med 1989 ; 82 : 643–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norusis, M. SPSS for Windows 9.0. Chicago: SPSS Inc; 1999.Google Scholar
O’Brien, GHolton, ARHurren, KWatt, LHassanyeh, F. Deliberate self-harm and predictors of out-patient attendance. Br J Psychiatry 1987 ; 150 : 246–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ryngnestad, T.A 15-year follow-up study after deliberate self poisoning. Nordisk Laegeforen 1997 ; 117 : 3065–9.Google Scholar
Schmidtke, ABille-Brahe, UDeLeo, DKerkhof, ABjerke, TCrepet, P et al. Attempted suicide in Europe: rates, trends and sociodemographic characteristics of suicide attempters during the period 1989–1992. Results of the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study on Parasuicide. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1996 ; 93 : 327–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van der Sande, RBuskens, EAllart, Evan der Graaf, Yvan Engeland, H. Psychosocial intervention following a suicide attempt: a systematic review of treatment interventions. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1997 ; 96 : 43–50.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van der Sande, RBuskens, EAllart, Evan der Graaf, Yvan Engeland, H. Intensive in-patient and community-interventions versus routine care after attempted suicide. A randomised controlled interventions study. Br J Psychiatryb 1997 ; 1717 : 35–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Heeringen, K. The management of non-compliance with outpatient after-care in suicide attempters: a review. Ital J Suicidol 1992 ; 2 : 79–83.Google Scholar
van Heeringen, KJannes, SBuylaert, WHenderick, HDe Bacquer, Dvan Remoortel, J. The management of non-compliance with outpatient aftercare among suicide attempters. Psychol Med 1995 ; 25 : 963–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Öjehagen, ADanielsson, MTräskman-Bendz, L. Deliberate self-poisoning: treatment follow-up of repeaters and nonrepeaters. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1992 ; 5 : 370–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.