Study shows therapy reduces suicide

Excerpted from “Study discovers a simple but powerful way to reduce suicide,” Fox News. November 24, 2014 — Talk therapy is a simple but powerful way to stop people at high risk of suicide from harming themselves, according to new research. In a study published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal, researchers who tracked tens of thousands of Danes over an 18-year period found that suicides were down 26 percent over a five-year period among people who had attempted suicide and received talking therapy sessions at a suicide prevention clinic, compared to those sent home with no treatment, the BBC reports.

In the first year, those who received talk therapy were not only 27 percent less likely to attempt suicide again, they were 38 percent less likely to die of any cause—and the positive effects could still be seen more than a decade later.

The researchers say the study is the first solid evidence "that psychosocial treatment—which provides support, not medication—is able to prevent suicide in a group at high risk of dying by suicide." A study co-author tells Bloomberg that even though previous studies showed that one in six people who survive a suicide attempt go on to harm themselves again within a year, many suicide survivors who don't require hospitalization for a mental illness are simply sent home without being referred to a counselor.

The researchers, who say the study reinforces the fact that it's "very important to offer support for people who have attempted suicide," plan follow-up studies to determine which kinds of therapy work best.

Commentary

Founder, Executive Director and Psychiatrist at Lighthouse Network Karl Benzio, MD: “God has blessed us with tremendous scientific advancements, leading to some incredibly helpful psychotropic medications. But in my 25 years of prescribing most of them, none of these medications are curative of any behavioral health issue, but rather they only provide symptom management. As this article nicely shows, the more potentially curative intervention for behavioral health struggles is talk therapy specifically aimed at helping an individual see their life circumstances more accurately, then respond with better decisions. Godly decision-making skills, as Solomon wished for, is the most important skill to master because decision-making is the exercise for, or what strengthens, the brain circuitry. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:1-2 and 2 Corinthians 10:4-6, Godly decision-making actually renews the mind and is our divinely powerful weapon. Many studies are now validating this principle, showing psychotherapy is a neurobiological intervention.

“Contrary to evolution mentality, the human condition is still fragile, decaying and suffering. Even in this great scientific era, suicide is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. when counting unreported and passive suicides. Some say Freud was the father of modern psychiatry, but Jesus was the first psychiatrist, starting the modern behavioral health revolution 2,000 years ago with His radical teachings and life example that show us how to make healthy life management decisions to live the abundant life (John 10:10) and ultimately transform our mind.

“Our calling is to continue what Jesus started. So when you see a patient in clinical practice in any circumstance, assume they’re all broken and struggling psychologically to some extent. Ask about life, stress, satisfaction, fulfillment and goal achievement, and see what responses they have, especially if their presenting symptoms might have some stress or psychological contributing factors. Then be a lighthouse guiding them to God’s peace and transformation using some basic counselor/discipling skills and referring them if more professional guidance is needed.”

Resources

A Relentless Hope: Surviving the Storm of Teen Depression
CMDA’s Psychiatry Section
CMDA’s Suicide Ethics Statement

The misery of healthcare

Excerpted from “How Being a Doctor Became the Most Miserable Profession,” The Daily Beast commentary by Daniela Drake, MD, MBA, April 14, 2014 — By the end of this year, it’s estimated that 300 physicians will commit suicide. While depression amongst physicians is not new—a few years back, it was named the second-most suicidal occupation—the level of sheer unhappiness amongst physicians is on the rise. Simply put, being a doctor has become a miserable and humiliating undertaking.

Not surprisingly, many doctors want out. In fact, physicians are so bummed out that 9 out of 10 doctors would discourage anyone from entering the profession. It’s hard for anyone outside the profession to understand just how rotten the job has become—and what bad news that is for America’s health care system.

Unfortunately, things are only getting worse for most doctors, especially those who still accept health insurance. To make ends meet, physicians have had to increase the number of patients they see. The end result is that the average face-to-face clinic visit lasts about 12 minutes. Neither patients nor doctors are happy about that. What worries many doctors, however, is that the Affordable Care Act has codified this broken system into law. While forcing everyone to buy health insurance, ACA might have mandated a uniform or streamlined claims procedure that would have gone a long way to improving access to care.

Yet physicians have to go along, constantly trying to improve their “productivity” and patient satisfaction scores—or risk losing their jobs. And now that Medicare payments will be tied to patient satisfaction—this problem will get worse. Doctors need to have the ability to say no. If not, when patients go to see the doctor, they won’t actually have a physician—they’ll have a hostage.

Almost comically, the response of medical leadership—their solution— is to call for more physician testing. In fact, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)—in its own act of hostage-taking—has decided that in addition to being tested every ten years, doctors must comply with new, costly, "two year milestones." In an era when nurse practitioners and physician assistants have shown that they can provide excellent primary care, it’s nonsensical to raise the barriers for physicians to participate. It is tone deaf. It is punitive. It is wrong. No wonder doctors are suicidal. No wonder young doctors want nothing to do with primary care. But for America’s health to be safeguarded, the wellbeing of America’s caretakers is going to have to start mattering to someone.

Commentary

CMDA Psychiatry Section Chair John Yarbrough, MD, MBA:“Working as a physician today is different than it was when my father began his practice in internal medicine nearly 40 years ago. Insurances, laws, decreased time with patients, board certifications and electronic medical records are amongst many potential contributors to making life miserable. The demands placed upon us can be overwhelming.

“Recent experiences on a trip to Am_an, Jord_n were unsettling and left me in need of spiritual and emotional refueling. One event in particular while treating Syri_n refugees was when, outside our building, a young 11-year-old girl emerged onto the street with her upper body lit on fire. She had poured kerosene on herself and lit herself on fire after receiving news that her abusive father was coming to pick her up and she would no longer live with her grandmother. This desperate child saw no other way of escaping her situation and is still in a Jord_nian hospital’s ICU with third-degree burns.

“As Christian physicians, the restoring love and grace offered by Jesus Christ dying on the cross for our sins is our path to salvation and an eternity in fellowship with God. While all of us have a wish list of things we would like to see change in our field, our higher calling is our antidote to misery. We are to focus on storing up treasures in heaven and not focus on earthly things."

Country names censored for security reasons

Resources

Faith and Health Resources
Contentment by Richard A. Swenson, MD