Recommendations for the Use of the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality With Sexual and Gender Minoritized Adults

• Published in: Practice innovations (Washington, D.C.) D.C.), 2024-09, Vol.9 (3), p.249-265
• Main Authors: Tucker, Raymond P., Hill, Ryan M., Pardue-Bourgeois, Sarah, Gerner, Jessica L., Oakey-Frost, Nicolas, Jobes, David A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Affirmative Therapy; Cognitive Behavior Therapy; Health Care Administration; Health Disparities; Human; Suicidal Ideation; Suicidality; Suicide Prevention; Suicide Risk Assessment
• ISSN: 2377-889X; 2377-8903
• DOI: 10.1037/pri0000243

Sexual and gender minoritized individuals (SGMIs) experience suicidal thinking and nonlethal suicide attempts more than their sexual and gender majority peers. Although structural and policy initiatives to reduce these suicide-related disparities are critical, clinical interventions will also play an important role. Research indicates that suicide-specific interventions outperform mental health treatment as usual in reducing suicide ideation severity and nonlethal suicidal behavior. This article details how important considerations from the sexual and gender minoritized health disparities literature can be immediately integrated into the provision of the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS), one suicide-focused intervention with demonstrated effectiveness for reducing suicide ideation severity. Specifically, this article details how minority stress theory and the psychological mediation framework can shape adaptations to the suicide risk assessment and treatment conceptualization processes of CAMS when used with SGMIs. Recommendations for the adaptation of suicide risk management and treatment selection processes in CAMS are also provided given research regarding promising brief interventions focused on reducing anxiety and depression in sexual and gender minoritized adults (e.g., adapted versions of acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, etc.). The article couches these specific recommendations for CAMS adaptations in the context of affirmative care practices and the ever-evolving landscape of state laws regarding affirmative psychotherapy. Clinical Impact Statement The following article addresses how the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) can best be adapted for use with sexual and gender minoritized individuals (SGMIs). Clinicians can use the detailed recommendations described in the article in their clinical care for SGMIs experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The adaptations to CAMS discussed are rooted in health disparities research and affirmative care practices. The efficacy of CAMS that include the adaptations discussed warrants empirical investigation.