New Study Suggests Assessments Of Past
Suicide Attempts Should Be Done Routinely

by William K. Hahn, Ph.D. and Lawrence I. Marks

Although some mental health professionals, particularly in university counseling centers, may not consider it relevant to inquire about a client's history of suicide attempts during an initial interview, there is growing evidence to support the practice. The latest comes from researchers William K. Hahn, Ph.D., and Lawrence I. Marks of the University of Tennessee who found that clients -- in this case college students -- are generally quite receptive to the idea. Their findings appear in the December issue of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, a journal of the American Psychological Association (APA).

The authors note that previous research has demonstrated that routinely inquiring about suicide risk factors, especially in a college student population, appears to be a prudent practice for mental health professionals. For example, studies have found that 75 percent of individuals who commit suicide have had a previous attempt and that users of campus counseling services are five to six times more likely than nonusers to commit suicide. Their study examined the degree to which university counseling service clients would be receptive to being asked about their history of suicide attempts, regardless of their reasons for seeking counseling.

Two hundred and forty clients (73 men and 167 women) participating in on-going therapy at a university counseling center filled out a questionnaire designed to measure their satisfaction with the services they received but which also asked them (a) if they had ever attempted suicide, (b) if yes, was this discussed during the intake or walk-in session and (c) did they think it is a good idea for counselors to ask all clients about these experiences?

Fourteen percent of the male clients and 22 percent of the female clients reported having attempted suicide, but only half of them recalled discussing that with the intake counselor. But 78.1 percent of the men and 76 percent of the women said they thought it was a good idea for counselors to ask clients about suicide attempts. None of the men and only 7 percent of the women thought it was not a good idea. The remaining 20 percent were undecided.

"These results refute misconceptions held by some naive clinicians who may be reluctant to inquire about suicide because of fear of prompting suicidal behaviors," the authors note. To the contrary, they add, "when suicide risk factors are not assessed at all, appropriate interventions cannot be implemented. Failure to identify clients with risk factors for suicide can have disastrous consequences."

Article: Client Receptiveness to the Routine Assessment of Past Suicide Attempts by William K. Hahn, Ph.D., and Lawrence I. Marks, University of Tennessee, in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol. 27, No. 6.
(Full text available from the APA Public Affairs Office.)

4/17/98

The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 159,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 50 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 58 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting human welfare.

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