Life-saving post-ER suicide prevention strategies are cost effective
One intervention, sending caring postcards or letters following an emergency visit, is more effective and less expensive than usual care. The report appears in the September 15 issue of the journal Psychiatric Services . According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States; 44,193 people died by suicide in the United States in 2015 (the most recent year for which statistics are available). One approach to reducing the suicide rate is to direct prevention strategies at high-risk groups or settings. An example is emergency departments, which according to the CDC, treat more than 500,000 people each year for self-harm injuries. "In the face of a gradually rising suicide rate, the need for effective prevention strategies is urgent," said NIMH Director Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. "These findings of cost-effectiveness add to the impetus for implementing these life-saving approaches. Importantly...