Reducing Suicide by Providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention

Abstract

Veteran suicide is a serious and persistent national problem, which demands an effective treatment intervention. This Evidence-Based Practice project (EBP) addressed the question: Do patients with a psychiatric in-patient diagnosis of suicide ideation, who after discharge self-elect outpatient Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Suicide Prevention (CBT-SP) treatment over a 6-week time frame, reduce the likelihood of hospital readmission for suicidal ideation vs. patients who decline CBT-SP treatment and elect Treatment as Usual (TAU)? The literature is prolific in validating that CBT-SP is successful in determining the effectiveness of CBT-SP vs. TAU in reducing suicidal behaviors in adults. Hospital readmission data were collected on both the CBT-SP and the TAU groups. The CBT-SP group collected a further measure utilizing the Quality of Life (QOL) Scale pre and post CBT-SP group intervention. Demographic variables of age, sex, and homelessness were compared to assess variability between the two groups. The CBT-SP and the TAU groups were compared for rehospitalization utilizing the Fisher Exact Test, which was statistically significant.