Zero Suicide - What About "Treat"?

• Published in: Crisis : the journal of crisis intervention and suicide prevention 2024-05, Vol.45 (3), p.167-172
• Main Authors: Grumet, Julie Goldstein, Jobes, David A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Clinical Models; Human; Humans; Suicide; Suicide Prevention
• ISSN: 0227-5910; 2151-2396
• DOI: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000958

Zero Suicide is a quality improvement framework that transforms system-wide suicide care, establishing suicide prevention as a core health-care responsibility in the US and abroad (National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, Clinical Care & Intervention Task Force, 2012). Seven core elements comprise the model: “lead,” “train,” and “improve” are the structural components embedded throughout the system and necessary for change success, fidelity, and continuous quality improvement. “Identify,” “engage,” “treat,” and “transition” are clinical components of the model and define the care patients should receive. Despite evidence supporting each component, use of the full model within systems of care varies. Many Zero Suicide implementation efforts focus on identification followed by brief interventions to reduce acute suicide risk. Central to Zero Suicide care management is a standardized suicide prevention pathway (SPP) that typically includes screening and assessment leading to a collaborative safety plan, reducing access to lethal means, and caring contacts/warm hand-offs. Although “treat” is integral to the model, it is often addressed after adopting other components of the model first, and the SPPs of some organizations fail to explicitly incorporate clinical treatments of suicidal thoughts and behaviors altogether. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)