Suicide amongst people with intellectual disability: An Australian online study of disability support staff experiences and perceptions

Abstract

Background Individuals with intellectual disability (ID) have a higher likelihood of exposure to identified risk factors for suicide when compared with the general community and have been recognised as being both capable of forming intent for suicide and acting on this intent. However, in spite of research outlining these concerns from the 1970s, there remains a dearth of studies that examine suicide amongst the population of people with ID. Method An online cross-sectional survey was purposively developed, with questions aimed at identifying both the experiences and current practices of support staff who assist people with ID in relation to suicide, suicidal behaviour and suicide assessment. It was undertaken across both rural and metropolitan areas in Australia. The survey was open for a period of 12 months. A total of 139 respondents (109 female/30 male), with a mean age of 41 and an average 12 years of experience in supporting people with ID, completed the tool. Results A total of nine suicides by people with ID were reported. Seventy-seven per cent of the

Opinions on Youth Suicide Risk Screening from Individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Their Therapists: A Pilot Study

“…Several therapists discussed concerns regarding accurate detection of suicide risk in NDD populations. This included improved training for therapists to intervene and assess suicide risk and better tools to screen for suicide risk, given the insufficiency of the existing tools for this population [6,11]. Results highlighted the need for a suicide risk screening tool that is developed specifically for use among individuals with NDD, meaning that future studies should seek to not just investigate the validity of existing brief screening tools, but further investigate whether adaptation is needed for individuals with NDD.…”

Considerations when offering mental health first aid to a person with an intellectual disability: a Delphi study

“…4 Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 5 Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 6 Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.…”

“…People with an intellectual disability experience higher rates of mental health problems compared to the general population, including higher rates of risk factors for suicide [2,3]. Australian researchers have found that while disability workers note suicidal behaviour amongst their clients with intellectual disability, few disability services utilise suicide risk assessment tools [5].…”

A relação entre a Deficiência Intelectual (DI) e o suicídio: uma revisão integrativa da literatura / The relationship between Intellectual Disability (ID) and suicide: an integrative literature review

“…Assim, entende-se que a solidão e o isolamento social se comportam como um fator de risco importantíssimo no âmbito do ideal suicida em pessoas com DI, bem como o nível de DI, presença de transtorno mental, história de hospitalização psiquiátrica, desemprego, comorbidades físicas, estresse, diminuição do apoio familiar e apoio social, história de automutilação, níveis mais baixos de escolarização, ser solteiro, adversidades na infância, abuso sexual, modernização e urbanização desenfreada. Ademais, sabe-se que qualquer indivíduo que tenha múltiplos fatores de risco tem o nível de risco aumentado (DODD et al, 2016;GIL-LLARIO et al, 2019;HAND et al, 2020;WARK et al, 2018;YANG et al, 2017).…”