Treatment for Relationships and Safety Together (TR&ST) for Suicide

Suicide is a major cause of death among adolescents and young adults. Although there is little awareness among the general public, the incidence of suicide is still significant in the Philippines.

Suicide may result in the dead being found at different times depending on the method of suicide, with fingerprints not being there earlier than between 48 hours and 2 days. The most common sites of suicide are the brain, particularly the frontal lobe in those found by suicide by jumping and hanging in which death may occur up to 4 hours after the actual kill. We think that in an attempt to take a quick and painless end, people in early stages tend to be more impulsive. This is in contrast to those attempting to kill themselves by asphyxiation, who may have lost impulse control and acted as if they possessed a weapon to defend their self-image.

In the United States, the prevalence of suicidal behavior in adolescents and young adults is very high, and suicidal behavior results in about 26,000 deaths each year (a rate about 4-fold higher than the number of deaths from all other causes). Given the public health significance of the problem, a number of prevention programs using different methods are under development, although few of them have been tested in randomized clinical trials. Adolescent suicide is an important and serious public health issue, but information available to policy makers has limitations.

Many cases of suicide are not addressed using pharmacotherapy, despite evidence of efficacy from clinical research. These cases may not be addressed using behavioral therapies. A comprehensive assessment is a prerequisite to establishing a coherent treatment plan.

Results from a recent paper does not support the claims of proponents of psychotherapy who claim that suicidal patients can recover if they are treated with psychotherapy, but does suggest that patients in the long term may not benefit. The study suggests that, although it is impossible to guarantee a cure, therapy may be able to reduce some people's risk of suicide. Future randomized controlled trials might address this limitation by randomising patients to a number of treatments, of which only one is intended to treat the suicidal state, rather than having all patients in the trial receive their treatments as usual.

Suicide is a complex issue with many different causes. The most common causes are mental illness: depression, substance abuse, and self-harm. The majority are not treatable. However, some are reversible with counselling, and some have no identifiable cause. Depression often accompanies suicidal ideation and attempts. Suicide is an increasingly pressing issue, especially in the workplace. The most effective prevention method is public health measures, such as raising awareness in society and improving policy.

The major risk factors for suicide are mental disorders, unemployment, and a history of a prior suicide attempt. The major risk factors for drowning are gender, a history of substance abuse, a history of water-related disorders, and a history of a prior drowning. The major risk factor for hanging is being male.

There is a great deal of variability in studies regarding suicide rates. [The most recent available studies suggest that suicide rates in the United States have been declining since 2000] Increasing rates of mental health services for patients have not had a huge impact on decreasing suicide rates, but additional funding is needed for mental health services research. More research is needed to establish the relationship between patient age, sex, and gender and suicide rates. It is important to understand what is the risk factor(s) for suicide. There are many possible explanations. One possibility is that suicide risk is highest in those who are not receiving treatment for substance use. Additional studies need to be done to examine the link between socioeconomic factors and suicide risk.

This is an important area of awareness to help ensure that any form of physical or verbal violence is not tolerated between patient and physician. Although many factors contribute to this, it is the responsibility of the physician or health care practitioner to ensure patient safety by being knowledgeable in and accepting the fact that the relationship can be difficult and the safety of each other. Physicians need to ensure that they understand and incorporate the following into their treatment and counseling strategies to increase patient safety.

There was no difference in the likelihood of suicide for individuals who had received treatment for relationship and safety (tr&st) versus a placebo. More research is needed to determine which clinical interventions, which may include psychosocial, psychiatric and medical treatment, most impact treatment adherence and relationship/safety outcomes.

We found a strong familial aggregation of suicide in our elderly population. However, the magnitude of the familial effect was very small for all types of suicide, which suggests that suicide is neither genetically nor phenotypically familial.