From Hospitals to Mental Health Care – Innovative Continuity-of-Care Programs to Reduce Adult Suicidality

Abstract: Background: In 2018, the Missouri Department of Mental Health was awarded a five-year federal grant to provide immediate mental health services to adults 25 years and older presenting at emergency departments (EDs) or admitted to inpatient psychiatric units (IPUs) for suicide attempts or suicidal ideation. Trained suicide prevention professionals from two mental health agencies were placed in hospitals or immediately contacted by hospital staff to recruit suicidal adults into mental health services, eliminating the need for patients to follow-up on referrals themselves. Aims: This article explored the effectiveness of these programs in reducing suicide attempts, IPU hospitalization, ED visits and suicidal ideation. Method: The researchers used a repeated-measures design to explore changes in these outcome variables between program intake and three months after intake. Results: Analyses revealed highly significant reductions of all outcome variables regardless of age, gender identity, race, referral source, or provider. Limitations: Due to limited funding, the research design could not include a control-group design or methods to reduce attrition at follow-up. Conclusion: The findings from this continuity-of-care approach suggest program replication within other hospital systems.