Psychiatric News (2/22) reports, “Among youth at risk for suicide, a text messaging intervention may help reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors after discharge from an emergency department [ED],” researchers concluded in a small study that “recruited patients aged 12 to 17 who were seen in the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) for suicidal thoughts or behaviors, or who screened positive for acute suicide risk on the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions tool to participate in a program evaluating the effectiveness of a text message intervention.” After receiving four messages, 27 of the 37 patients in the study completed a survey in which “78%…reported that the text messages had a positive impact on their mental health, 67% reported reduced suicidal ideation, and 74% reported that the messages helped prevent them from engaging in suicidal behavior.” The findings were published online Feb. 17 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.
Related Links:
— “Text Messaging Intervention May Reduce Suicidal Thoughts Among At-Risk Youth, Psychiatric News, February 22, 2022