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Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health News
Many Suicidal Adults Aren't Getting Mental Health
Treatment
By Amy Sutton, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service
July 13, 2006 - Many adults who consider suicide fail to seek help
from a doctor or mental health professional, and even those who do ask
for help may find it difficult to obtain adequate treatment or
medication, according to a new study.
We need to improve access to treatment for people
with suicide ideation, said Ruth Klap, Ph.D., a sociologist at
University of California in Los Angeles and study co-author. There is a
problem with perceived need for care, and even among those who realize
they need it, there are a substantial number who dont get care. she
said.
In the study, to be published in the upcoming issue
of General Hospital Psychiatry, Klap and colleagues analyzed data from a
telephone survey of 7,896 adults.
Those who reported thoughts of suicide within the past year were asked
whether they sought treatment from a doctor or counselor or took
medication for mental health or drug or alcohol problems.
Only 3.6 percent of the study respondents reported
having suicidal, but of these, 74 percent had symptoms of a serious
psychiatric disorder, most commonly depression. A little over half (56
percent) believed they needed care from a doctor or mental health
professional.
But the results also suggest that even suicidal
adults who ask for help may not get it. Forty-four percent of the
suicidal adults had visited a primary care doctor for help with an
alcohol, drug or mental health disorder, but only a quarter of suicidal
adults received treatment from a mental health professional.
People suffering from a significant mental
disorder may find it difficult to navigate the health care system and
ask for the treatment they need, said Heather V. Krell, M.D., a
psychiatrist at UCLA not affiliated with the study.
People feeling suicidal may be inhibited by the
stigma of it, Krell said. Lack of motivation and energy may also pose a
problem for suicidal adults who recognize they need help.
Both family members and mental health care
professionals have a responsibility to help suicidal adults get the care
and treatment they need, Krell said.
This research was funded by The Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation and the National Institute of Mental Health.
Editor's Note: General Hospital Psychiatry is a
peer-reviewed research journal published bimonthly by Elsevier Science.
Reference: Brook R, et al. Mental health care for adults with suicide
ideation. General Hospital Psychiatry 28, 2006.
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