Suicide Risk and Treatment Engagement
Dr. Dana Lizardi studies the intractable problem of suicide, which, despite major advances in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health, accounts for more fatalities each year than HIV or liver disease. “It’s still a huge problem and we’re not getting to the root of it,” says Dr. Lizardi, an assistant professor at the School of Social Work.
The problem is not a lack of effective treatments but the gap between treatment and those who need it most, she says. She cites a statistic that over 60 percent of people who attempt suicide after being released from the hospital do not attend their first outpatient appointment. Her research focuses on treatment engagement, or how to get individuals at-risk of suicide into treatment.
One of Dr. Lizardi’s research studies, funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, tests interventions for individuals admitted to emergency rooms following suicide attempts. The study uses motivational interviewing and follow-up phone calls to keep at-risk individuals involved in therapy. Another study, funded by NARSAD (National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression), is testing the feasibility of such interventions in a busy, urban emergency room.
These studies try to engage clients in their own recovery and help them develop skills to deal with their problems. Dr. Lizardi says individuals at-risk of suicide have difficulty solving problems and generating solutions. “Everything seems hopeless,” she says. “It’s often said that people who attempt suicide seem happier in the days or weeks before. It’s kind of a relief when they make the decision to kill themselves.”
Dr. Lizardi’s focus is helping clients find their own way out of suffering, apart from ending their lives. “We can help them find reasons not to engage in suicidal behavior,” Dr. Lizardi says. “We can help them develop their own solutions and their own reasons to live.”