Today Mike Hogan, Ph.D., the Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health honored RNN-TV and the NYS Bridge authority for their work in suicide prevention. The bridge authority put up signs and installed lifeline phones with direct link to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. For clinicians assessing and managing suicide risk, the [...]
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Reminder from the bridge: Suicidal individuals are full of ambivalence
September 28, 2007
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Conversation with Michelle Lang, Ph.D. of RFMH
September 18, 2007
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I had an interesting conversation a few weeks ago with Michelle Lang, PhD, a colleague with the New York State Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene. RFMH is essentially the research and program evaluation arm of the NYS Office of Mental Health. Dr. Lang has completed a pilot study on the feasibility of routine suicidality screening [...]
Read morePresentation to Board of Wynne Center for Family Research
September 9, 2007
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I presented at the Wynne Center for Family Research (WCFR) board meeting today. I presented about our clinical services and about my work in suicide risk assessment, including how it grew out of experiences with suicidal patients in couples and families. The Center board and the faculty of the WCFR were present. The Board is [...]
Read moreReminder from the headlines: Suicide not just about depression
August 28, 2007
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The Washington Post reported yesterday that the Virginia Tech shooter had an anxiety disorder as a child. I don’t want to say much more about that, and I don’t know enough about Seung Hui Cho to know whether this did or did not play a role in his actions in April. But such news can [...]
Read moreThoughts about SAD PERSONS Screen
August 27, 2007
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I’ve gotten a few questions from colleagues and trainees lately about using the SADPERSONS screen. Most recently, a colleague pointed me to an article in Psychiatric Times titled, “APA: Simple Screen Improves Suicide Risk Assessment.” The topic seems worthy of a post to think through both the appeal and risks of the SADPERSONS scale. For [...]
Read morePossible implications of findings re: visual memory
August 27, 2007
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Readers of this blog know that I am interested in mindmapping and other visual presentation strategies as tools for training clinicians in suicide risk assessment (see related posts listed below). In a previous post marked “needs development” I noted: Really, there is a “basic science” set of questions about learning and the clinician mind that [...]
Read moreOwner of Chinese Toy Factory Dies – New York Times
August 14, 2007
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Almost nothing is known about this factory owner, so we should be careful about what lessons we draw. But this news is a sad and startling reminder that job loss and financial pressure (here mixed with public humiliation) raises risk of suicide. Owner of Chinese Toy Factory Commits Suicide – New York Times.
Read moreConversation with Paul Quinnett, Founder/CEO of QPR
August 1, 2007
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I talked yesterday with Paul Quinnett, Ph.D. Founder and CEO of the QPR Institute. He has been working in the field of suicide prevention for decades and has developed an excellent set of tools for clinicians. I enjoyed the conversation because Dr. Quinnett is bright, experienced, and passionate about his work, and also because of [...]
Read moreRisk of suicide in young children
June 12, 2007
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There is a lot of material available about assessing for risk of suicide in adolescents, but much less that focuses on small children. Some cases are relatively (and I mean relatively) straightforward, like the child who says he is going to kill himself in anger when he doesn’t get his way. But I have seen [...]
Read moreGenetic Variations May Predispose Some Men To Suicidal Thoughts During Treatment For Depression
June 12, 2007
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Genetic Variations May Predispose Some Men To Suicidal Thoughts During Treatment For Depression Researchers at Harvard/Mass General have contributed some interesting data to the conversation about suicidality and antidepressant treatment. Roy Perlis and colleagues examined available DNA info on patients who had new onset suicidal thoughts after starting drug therapy, and found an interaction effect [...]
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