Evidence-Based Practice in Suicidology: A Source Book

An innovative and long overdue book by the world’s leading researchers and practitioners, describing what really works in suicide prevention, the evidence for particular approaches, where the gaps are in our knowledge, and how we can fill them. Suicide rates have increased by 60% worldwide in the past 45 years, with deaths by suicide projected to reach 1.5 million by the year 2020. Despite millions being spent on suicide prevention activities, little is known about their effectiveness: As the US Suicide Prevention Action Network (SPAN) reported, “The single greatest obstacle to the effective prevention of suicide is the lack of evaluation research.” Evidence-based medicine involves the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients – which means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research. This substantive and authoritative volume shows for the first time how evidence-based approaches can be used in suicide prevention – as well as where evidence is lacking and how we might obtain it. Leading researchers and practitioners describe what really works in suicide prevention, the evidence for and against particular approaches, both in general terms (such as by means of hotlines, restriction of means, psychopharmocology) and for specific disorders (such as schizophrenia, personality disorder), and make specific recommendations about where we go from here.

This is the book we have all been waiting for. It provides answers to the key questions in suicidology: What is our evidence-base? And how can we translate research findings into effective suicide prevention interventions and practices? The expert contributors bring clarity into the field, describing the current research evidence as well as showing us how to interpret it and apply it in clinical and prevention settings. This book brings suicidology into the 21st century and also sets an agenda for its future directions. It is a must-read for everyone concerned with helping individuals at risk of suicidal behaviors -- --Morton M. Silverman, MD, Senior Advisor, Suicide Prevention Resource Center, Newton, MA, Senior Medical Advisor, The Jed Foundation, New York, NY, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Colorado at Denver, Denver, CO

Evidence-based methods have, over recent decades, enabled us to prune the vineyard of suicidology. Read this book to see how the field looks today, trimmed back and flourishing as never before. It will show you much of what we know (and what we don't know) about suicide, and take you to the cutting edge. --John T. Maltsberger, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Evidence-Based Practice in Suicidology demonstrates very succinctly how scientific evidence can be translated directly into practical clinical decision making.[...] Critically, most of the conclusions presented in the text are supported by brief descriptions of the highest quality studies, and in many cases contributors present inferential data to better clarify or highlight the main points. This critical appraisal of the scientific literature is a definite strength that goes beyond the typical narrative style of most books. --Craig J. Bryan in PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 56, Nov. 2011