mental illness

This month I successfully proposed my dissertation project to my committee (now the real work begins!). As suggested by the title, my project will investigate the way in which low feelings of belongingness and high feelings of burdensomeness interact to increase suicide ideation among older adults. The study is based on a theory developed by Thomas Joiner, PhD and his students at Florida State University.

Thanks to my committee for their very helpful comments and suggestions: Daniel Segal, PhD; Frederick Coolidge, PhD; Sara Qualls, PhD; Molly Maxfield, PhD; and Aditi Mitra, PhD.

Note: Anyone experiencing a suicidal crisis can contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

At the end of May, I completed a practicum rotation in a long term care facility (aka nursing home). I discovered that I love working in that setting and its something that I hope to gain more experience with while I'm on internship.

Dr. Eleanor Feldman Barbara is a psychologist who works in long term care and writes a blog about her experiences. She recently wrote an interesting guest post on the role of psychology in treating mental illness in nursing home residents for McKnight's Long Term Care News.

Another great resource for those interested in the topic of mental illness in long term care is the group Psychologists in Long Term Care (PLTC). 

In the U.S., older adults have a disproportionally high rate of completed suicide as compared to the general population, with white men over the age of 85 being at greatest risk (National Center for Health Statistics, 2007). The state of Colorado has similar trends (The Colorado Trust, 2002). Compared with other age groups, older adults are more likely to use firearms as their choice of suicide method, which more often results in death (Steffens & Blazer, 1998).

As mental health practitioners and researchers, we typically focus on the psychosocial cause(s) of suicide, usually associated with the presence of risk factors, to guide our suicide prevention interventions. In reviewing the literature for my thesis, I discovered the general consensus that suicidal individuals are poor problem-solvers; that is, they tend to see one solution, and one solution only, to their problems.

However, a recent article in the New York Times ("The Urge to End It All"), highlighted the importance of focusing on the method of suicide in prevention efforts. By simply creating physical barriers to suicide, the risk of completed suicide can be mitigated. Ironically, this may be due in part to the poor problem-solving abilities of those who attempt suicide. If an obstacle is put in the way (e.g., keeping guns in a locked case or putting some time in-between the thought and the act), the individual is less likely to go through with it.

If you (or somebody you know) are suicidal, the best thing to do is call 911 or a suicide prevention hotline (like 1-800-273-TALK) or go to the nearest emergency room.