4th Biennial Suicide Symposium: Addressing the Role of Clinical Intervention and the Experience of Patient Loss to Suicide
Research has estimated that approximately 50% of psychiatrists and 25% of psychologists will lose at least one patient to suicide over the duration of their careers; however, losing a patient to suicide is not an experience limited to mental health professionals. A large-scale study revealed that 64% of people who attempt suicide visit a doctor in the month prior to their attempt, with 38% presenting to a physician in the week leading up to their attempt. These visits most commonly occur in primary care and outpatient general medical settings versus mental health clinics. These losses have great emotional impact on the clinician: when clinicians have been surveyed about their experiences with patient suicide, they have reported intense levels of grief, guilt, inadequacy, anxiety, and depression. This distress can then lead to isolation and professional difficulties. Our overall goal in holding this biennial this symposium is to provide a structured, safe environment where practitioners and trainees from all disciplines of medicine obtain collegial support and education to reduce the stigma and fear surrounding patient suicide.
Key words: Motivation, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide, Social Stigma, Risk Assessment, Training Support, Mental Health, Emotions, Surveys and Questionnaires, Confidentiality
As an APA Approved Sponsor for Continuing Education, the Medical College of Wisconsin attests that this program has no:
- Commercial support for CE program, sponsor, or instructor (or any other relationship that could reasonably be construed as a conflict of interest)
- Commercial support for the content of instruction (e.g., research grants funding research findings etc.) that could be construed as a conflict of interest
- Commercial support or benefit for endorsement of products (e.g., books, training, drugs, etc.)
Target Audience
- Physicians (faculty, fellows, and residents of any specialty)
- Psychologists
- Social Workers
- PA & AANP
- Medical Students
Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:
- Prepare a safety plan with a suicidal patient
- Identify interventions that could decrease risk of suicide
- Recognize that suicide is an outcome that may be encountered during a mental health career
- Demonstrate a nonjudgmental environment of acceptance and support for colleagues who experience loss
Agenda
8:30 – 9:45 | Risk Assessment, Safety Plans & Means Restriction Gregory Simons, PhD |
9:45-10:00 | BREAK |
10-11:00 | Small Groups - Dealing with the loss of a patient to suicide Various Faculty |
11:00-11:15 | BREAK |
11:15-12:00 | Large Group - Lived Experiences Gregory Simons, PhD & Mara Pheister, MD |
12:00 - 12:15 | Mindfulness Exercise |
Dial-in details will be provided to registered attendees.
In accordance with the ACCME policy on relevant financial disclosure, all planners were asked to reveal any relevant financial relationships. Drs. Pheister, Owen, and Simons have nothing to disclose.
Available Credit
- 3.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
- 3.00 APAAPA credit.
- 3.00 Hours of ParticipationHours of Participation credit.
Price
This activity is complimentary, however, the cost for credit award is $25.00. If you do not wish to be awarded credit please choose the "No, thank you" option above.
The billing address entered at check out must match the address associated with the credit card used or your credit card will be declined.