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Telephone contact with patients in the year after a suicide attempt: does it affect treatment attendance and outcome? A randomised controlled study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

M. Cedereke ,
K. Monti  and
A. Öjehagen
M. Cedereke*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Lund University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden
K. Monti
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Lund University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden
A. Öjehagen
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Lund University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden
*
*Correspondence and reprints. E-mail address: marie.cedereke@psykiatr.lu.se (M. Cedereke).
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Summary

Ambivalence to treatment and repeated suicidal behaviour are well-known problems in suicide attempters. A randomised controlled study was performed to investigate the influence of repeated telephone contacts on treatment attendance, repetition of suicidal behaviour and mental health the year after a suicide attempt.

Subjects and methods

One month after their suicide attempt 216 patients were randomised to either two telephone interventions in addition to treatment as usual, or no such intervention during the subsequent year. The interventions included motivational support to attend and/or to stay in treatment. At 1 month and again after 12 months the following measurements were used: GSI (SCL-90), GAF and SSI.

Results

At follow-up treatment attendance was high and did not differ between the randomised groups. Among those with an initial treatment contact other than psychiatric, more patients in the intervention group had such contact at follow-up. The randomised groups did not differ in repetition of suicide attempts during follow-up or in improvement in GSI (SCL-90), GAF and SSI. In individuals with no initial treatment the intervention group improved more in certain psychological symptom dimensions (SCL-90).

Conclusions

Telephone interventions seem to have an effect on patients who at their suicide attempt had other treatment than psychiatric and in those with no treatment.

Keywords

follow-upinterventionrandomised controlled studysuicide attempt

Information

Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , April 2002 , pp. 82 - 91
Copyright
Copyright © Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS. 2002

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