Suicide Prevention -- Important New Research
Oct 4, 2012
In a few of my previous emails I've noted how important it is to ensure that not only should you get suoport in dealing with the enduring effects of childhood trauma, but that the support and treatment you receive needs to be "safe". Sadly, this "safety" can't be relied on, and many people need to "find their own way" in coping with the demons they carry, including that demon that says "it'll all be over, the self-loathing, the discomfort with others, the real loneliness no one else knows about, if you just end it now" -- uncomfortable thoughts to have, even more uncomfortable if you start listening to them. Unsurprisingly, many people try to numb the pain associated with such thoughts by using non-prescribed drugs (temember the paper by Kate Scott? --- [LINK], and the research that shows that nearly all of those admitted, with a previous history of substance abuse, to psychiatric hospitals because they are at risk of killing themselves have histories of childhood abuse or trauma -- [LINK]).
Well, there's some good news. Those who use my website will have already seen me refer to the services available over the internet from the ThisWayUp Clinic at the University of New South Wales. New research, by Watts et al (2012) [LINK] shows a dramatic reduction in both depression and suicidal thoughts in patients who participated in our in-ternet cognitive behaviour therapy (iCBT ). In this study, almost 300 patients were prescribed the THIS WAY UP Clinic course for depression by their clinician. After completing the six lesson fully automated course, suicidal ideation decreased significantly despite minimal clinical contact and the absence of an intervention focused on suicidal ideation. This reduction in sui-cidal ideation was evident regardless of the sex and age of the patient.
This is the first study to demonstrate this as-sociation in primary care. “Web-based services for people with depression have been cautious about treating people who have suicidal thoughts but this study shows intervention for these people is successful,” says lead author of the study, Professor Gavin Andrews of the Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression (CRUfAD), St Vincent’s Hospital.
This research is especially exciting, for apart from it being "the first study", it's noteworthy for its brevity, and minimal cost (AUD55 -- research has shown clients improve more if they pay for treatment -- but, as a guide, one-to-one services from a psychologist in Australia, person-to-person, can easily cost over AUD150/hr).
Although more research needs to be done on the applicability to those with Complex Trauma, I have learned in previous professional-to-professional communication with staff at the clinic that up to 50% of their clients have histories of childhood trauma, so these results have exciting implications for survivors visiting this site.
The Clinic can be contacted via email THIS WAY UP Clinic thiswayupclinic@stvincents.com.au