five reasons why we have not been able to prevent suicide angus h thompson department of public...
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FIVE REASONS WHY WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO PREVENT SUICIDE
Angus H ThompsonDepartment of Public Health
Flinders University
Suicide Prevention Australia, Adelaide, November 3, 2006
“EFFECTIVE” SUICIDE PREVENTION
• “No single intervention has been shown in a well conducted randomised trial to reduce suicide” (Gunnel & Frankel 1994)
• “Suicide prevention remains essentially a land of hopes and promises but not of certainties” (de Leo 2002)
• No evidence found of a demonstrable effect (Alberta Foundation for Medical Research 2003)
REASON 1
AN ORGANIZATION WITH “SUICIDE” IN ITS TITLE CANNOT PREVENT SUICIDE!
BrainSculpting
Temperament
Vocabulary
Birth 5 Yrs 10 Yrs 15 Yrs 20 Yrs 25 Yrs
Peer Influences
Understands Suicide
Suicide Ideation
Formal Suicide Intervention
AGE OF OCCURRENCE OF A NUMBER OF FACTORS RELEVANT TO SUICIDE
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
1935 1950 1965 1980 1990
Prev
alen
ce
Females
Males
Figure 3THE PREVALENCE OF TWO OR MORE TRAUMATIC
CHILDHOOD EVENTS BY “COHORT YEAR” AND SEX
“Cohort Year” = Date when the youngest person in each group would have been about 15 years of age
Source: Thompson AH, Cui X (2000). Increasing Childhood Trauma in Canada: Findings From the National Population Health Survey, 1994/95. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 91(3), 197-200.
REASON 2
SUICIDE IS NOT SEEN AS PART OF A CLUSTER OF HUMAN PROBLEMS
THE CANADIAN SOCIAL PROBLEM INDEX
COMPONENTSMurder
Attempted MurderAssault
Sexual assaultRobberySuicideDivorce
Alcoholism
Source: Thompson AH, Howard AW, Yin J (2001). A social problem index for Canada. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 46, 45-51.
SOCIAL PROBLEM INTERCORRELATIONS ACROSS PROVINCES: 1971/1981
Att.Murder Assault Rape Robbery Divorce Suicide
Alco-Holism
Homicide .91/.90 .47/.50 .58/.69 .71/.61 .65/.66 .47/.81 .43/.82
AttemptedMurder .36/.24 .58/.44 .80/.61 .56/.48 .38/.79 .43/.59
Assault .23/.73 .26/.00 .76/.54 .41/.30 .17/.63
Rape .84/.35 .71/.68 .68/.34 .76/.83
Robbery .72/.67 .63/.66 .75/.65
Divorce .77/.70 .68/.77
Suicide .79/.66
THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSES IN THE EDMONTON AREA EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
Source: Thompson A & Bland RC (1995). Social dysfunction and mental illness in a community sample. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 40, 15 – 20.
Alcohol Abuse
Drug Abuse Divorce
Unem- ployment
Suicide attempt Felony
Spouse Abuse
Child Abuse
Schizophrenia
Mania
Depression
Dysthymia
Phobia
Panic Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive
Antisocial Personality
OR < 5 OR 5 - 9.9 OR 10+
(r = 0.81)
Source: Thompson AH, Borden K, Belton KL. (2004). Intentional & unintentional injuries across health regions in Alberta, Canada: An implication for policy. Crisis 25(4) 156-160.
REASON 3
THE MAJORITY OF SUICIDAL INDIVIDUALS EXHIBIT A MENTAL ILLNESS, BUT MOST
OF THESE DO NOT RECEIVE TREATMENT
Psychological Autopsy Studies Suggest That At Least 90% of People Who
Commit Suicide Have a Mental Illness!
• Psychological autopsies are retrospective in nature
• Treatment is far from perfect
• There is an environment by mental vulnerability interaction
BUT …
REASON 4
SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAMS CANNOT “LEARN”
“SUICIDE PREVENTION” PROGRAMS RARELY EVALUATE THEIR IMPACTS:
• Several years required to show an effect
“SUICIDE PREVENTION” PROGRAMS RARELY EVALUATE THEIR IMPACTS:
• Several years required to show an effect
• Avoidance of personal evaluation
“SUICIDE PREVENTION” PROGRAMS RARELY EVALUATE THEIR IMPACTS:
• Several years required to show an effect
• Avoidance of personal evaluation
• Not knowing what one’s job is
SELF-REGULATING SYSTEMS AND
SUICIDE PREVENTION
Gus Thompson Alberta (Co-Chair)
Wade Junek Nova Scotia (Co-Chair)
Leanne Boyd Manitoba
Joseph Kluger Saskatchewan
Claire LeBlanc New Brunswick
Terry Russell British Columbia
Kathryn Sullivan Health Canada (Ex Officio)
Susan Moisey Consultant
Celebrating Success:A Self-Regulating Service Delivery System for
Children & YouthA Discussion Paper
Prepared for Health Canada byThe Federal/Provincial/Territorial Working Group on the
Mental Health and Well-Being of Children and Youth
A SIMPLE SELF-REGULATING HEALTH SYSTEM
GOVERNINGPOLICIES
INTERPRETATION& DECISION
SERVICEDELIVERY
HEALTHOUTCOMES
FEEDBACK
WHAT MAKES A SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM SELF REGULATING?
FOUR ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS
• Outcome Measures
• Feedback
• Executive Capability
• Rewards & Incentives
SUICIDE PREVENTION REQUIRES THE USE OF LONG, MEDIUM & SHORT-TERM
OUTCOME MEASURES
1. HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT
2. PARASUICIDAL BEHAVIOUR
3. COMPLETED SUICIDE
REASON 5
WE DON’T KNOW WHY THE SUICIDE RATE IS SO LOW
WHY DO WE “GO FORWARD”?
WHY DO WE “GO FORWARD”?
Rose Coloured Glasses
Optimism (Seligman)
Strengthening Behaviour (Skinner)
Traditions (Frankl)
Healthy Brain Development
Control over one's environment
The family
Social Imperative
FIVE THINGS TO DO
1. Intervene Very Early (ECD)
2.Address Shared Social Problem Causes
3. Improve Access and Efficacy of Treatment
5. Promote Curiosity, Mastery, Responsibilityand Zest for Life
4. Create a System That Can Learn
For More Information:
Angus H ThompsonDept of Public Health, Flinders University
angus.thompson@flinders.edu.au
www.socialproblemindex.com
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/dca-dea/publications/pdf/celebrating_e.pdf
Many Thanks
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