Many suicidal adults aren't
getting mental health treatment
Newswise — Many adults who
consider suicide fail to seek help from a doctor or mental health
professional, and even those who do ask for help may find it
difficult to obtain adequate treatment or medication, according to a
new study.
“We need to improve access to
treatment for people with suicide ideation,” said Ruth Klap, Ph.D.,
a sociologist at University of California in Los Angeles and study
co-author. “There is a problem with perceived need for care,” and
even among those who realize they need it, “there are a substantial
number who don’t get care.” she said.
In the study, to be published in
the upcoming issue of
General Hospital Psychiatry, Klap and
colleagues analyzed data from a telephone survey of 7,896 adults.
Those who reported thoughts of suicide within the past year were
asked whether they sought treatment from a doctor or counselor or
took medication for mental health or drug or alcohol problems.
Only 3.6 percent of the study
respondents reported having suicidal, but of these, 74 percent had
symptoms of a serious psychiatric disorder, most commonly
depression. A little over half (56 percent) believed they needed
care from a doctor or mental health professional.
But the results also suggest that
even suicidal adults who ask for help may not get it. Forty-four
percent of the suicidal adults had visited a primary care doctor for
help with an alcohol, drug or mental health disorder, but only a
quarter of suicidal adults received treatment from a mental health
professional.
“People suffering from a
significant mental disorder may find it difficult to navigate the
health care system and ask for the treatment they need,” said
Heather V. Krell, M.D., a psychiatrist at UCLA not affiliated with
the study.
“People feeling suicidal may be
inhibited by the stigma of it,” Krell said. Lack of motivation and
energy may also pose a problem for suicidal adults who recognize
they need help.
Both family members and mental
health care professionals have a responsibility to help suicidal
adults get the care and treatment they need, Krell said.
This research was funded by The
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Institute of Mental
Health.