Suicide is a public health crisis (Cornette et al., 2009). An estimated 703,000 people a year in the world end their life (World Health Organization, 2022). Additionally, for every completed suicide, there are 20 people attempting suicide, and many more experiencing suicidal thoughts or ideation. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15 […]
Many psychotherapists have treated patients who denied suicidal ideation, and then attempted suicide later. This can leave the treating psychotherapists upset, bewildered, and asking what they could have done differently. Sometimes patients who unexpectedly attempted suicide developed their suicidal thoughts after their psychotherapists asked them about suicide. At other times, these patients already had suicidal […]
Suicides occur from a congruence of many factors including the quality and amount of social support an individual receives. Fortunately, several treatments have strong support for their effectiveness in reducing suicide attempts including cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and the collaborative assessment and management of suicide among others (Calati & Courtet, 2016). Whatever intervention […]
Effective psychotherapies, including treatments for suicidal patients, rely heavily on relationship skills for their success (Norcross & Lambert, 2018). Unfortunately, many suicidal patients have reported that their providers have not always displayed those essential relationship qualities (e.g., Blanchard & Farber, 2020; Hom et al., 2020; Hom et al., 2021; Richards et al., 2019a; Richards et […]
The death of a patient by suicide is the professional event most feared by psychologists (Pope & Tabachnick, 1993). Fortunately, evidence has accumulated for the effectiveness of the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Cognitive Behavior Therapy for the treatment of suicidal patients, although other interventions are promising as well (Calati […]
While sports can be an empowering opportunity for individuals to learn socialization, group cohesion, and other forms of prosocial skills, such as negotiation, courage, fairness, and work ethic, communities are starting to challenge the age-old adage of sports building good character (Sun & Tai, 2022). There has been an increase in stories reporting unethical behavior […]
Nine days before my first internship application was due, I learned that an ex-patient of mine, Theodore (name changed for confidentiality), died by suicide. I know receiving this kind of news can never come at a good time, but this was a particularly vulnerable time for me. I was feeling insecure, questioning myself, scared about […]
Claiming the lives of over 48,000 Americans per year, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (CDC, 2018). This number alone may present as shocking to many; however, this number only depicts the amount of deaths due to suicide. It does not take into account the estimated 1.4 million suicide […]
What leads a person to engage in self-harm behaviors has long perplexed psychologists. People identify various reasons for engaging in self-harm, which include transforming their emotional pain into physical pain, channeling anger, escaping from recurring traumatic thoughts/ feelings, and regulation of affect (Whisenhunt et al., 2016; White et al., 2003). Self-harm is commonly confused with suicidal intent. The American Psychiatric Association makes an important distinction between the two by […]
The science of language is the study of how humans communicate and understand meaning. It does this by examining the ways in which words influence and reflect internal and external processes and behavior, as well as social interaction and connectivity (Krieger & Gallois, 2017; Mehl & Pennebaker, 2003). The average person speaks 150-160 English words […]