Suicidal Americans Missing Out on Care
Only half of suicidal people surveyed in a new study said they received significant mental health treatment during the previous year.
The odds of getting assistance were especially high among people who didn't think they had anything wrong with them despite having thoughts of killing themselves, the researchers said. But even those who realized they were in trouble sometimes couldn't get care.
"It's good if you perceive a need for help, but it doesn't solve all the problems," said study co-author Ruth Klap, an assistant research sociologist at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).
The problem appears to be nationwide: A second study -- a survey of more than 3,500 people in five states -- found that less than 15 percent of those with symptoms of clinical depression were getting recommended care. In the UCLA study, Klap and her colleagues examined the results of a 2000-2001 survey of nearly 7,900 Americans. Among other things, the survey asked participants about suicidal thoughts and access to mental health care; the study was designed to include a higher than normal proportion of poor and psychologically stressed people. The study findings appear in the July-August issue of General Hospital Psychiatry.
In many cases, suicidal people are male -- known to be less likely to seek help than females -- and isolated from others. "One of the best protective factors is being able to form good and meaningful nurturing relationships," Berman said. "They become suicidal in part because they have trouble doing that." To make matters worse, doctors and mental health workers often aren't well-trained in how to assess suicidal people, he said. "That's just not being done very well," he noted.
For additional research findings on this topic, visit Suicide.
The odds of getting assistance were especially high among people who didn't think they had anything wrong with them despite having thoughts of killing themselves, the researchers said. But even those who realized they were in trouble sometimes couldn't get care.
"It's good if you perceive a need for help, but it doesn't solve all the problems," said study co-author Ruth Klap, an assistant research sociologist at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).
The problem appears to be nationwide: A second study -- a survey of more than 3,500 people in five states -- found that less than 15 percent of those with symptoms of clinical depression were getting recommended care. In the UCLA study, Klap and her colleagues examined the results of a 2000-2001 survey of nearly 7,900 Americans. Among other things, the survey asked participants about suicidal thoughts and access to mental health care; the study was designed to include a higher than normal proportion of poor and psychologically stressed people. The study findings appear in the July-August issue of General Hospital Psychiatry.
In many cases, suicidal people are male -- known to be less likely to seek help than females -- and isolated from others. "One of the best protective factors is being able to form good and meaningful nurturing relationships," Berman said. "They become suicidal in part because they have trouble doing that." To make matters worse, doctors and mental health workers often aren't well-trained in how to assess suicidal people, he said. "That's just not being done very well," he noted.
For additional research findings on this topic, visit Suicide.
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