102: How to Deal With a Suicidal Patient

Suicidal thoughts and urges are very common among depressed patients. The vast majority of depressed individuals have thoughts of suicide from time to time, and some struggle with serious suicidal urges. The experts tell us that 10% to 15% of chronically depressed individuals do eventually commit suicide, even if they are receiving treatment for depression. It is hard for me to believe that suicide is that common, but even if it is only 2% or 3%, that’s still very significant, especially if you have a large clinical practice and you treat lots of depressed individuals.

Suicide attempts are shocking and devastating for the patient, for the family, and for the therapist as well. The loss of a patient through suicide is the dark side of our profession. The loss of life is a horrible and unnecessary tragedy, since the feelings of hopelessness that trigger suicidal urges are always the result of cognitive distortions; the belief that you are hopeless and cannot improve is never valid. Yet, the depressed patient does not realize this, and sometimes turns to suicide as the only way out of the suffering.

Sadly, clinicians' capacity to assess suicidal urges in patients they are treating is very poor, and not significantly different from zero. In this podcast, I describe how you can solve this problem with the use of the EASY Diagnostic System and suicide interview at the initial evaluation, and the use of the Brief Mood Survey at all subsequent sessions, with no exceptions.

In this podcast, I focus on two things. First, how can the clinician identify and evaluate a new (or old) patient who is struggling with suicidal thoughts and fantasies and determine if the patient is at risk for a suicide attempt? Second, how can the therapist make the patient accountable and guarantee that the patient will not now, or ever, make a suicide attempt? The “defensive psychotherapy” I recommend will sound unfamiliar to many therapists but can save lives and make your practice far more peaceful and rewarding! The approach to the suicidal patient involves Paradoxical Agenda Setting techniques, including the Gentle Ultimatum and Sitting with Open Hands.