II. Indications
- Immediate support for patients after Traumatic event
III. Protocol: Response to Traumatic Events
- Contact and engage the patient
- Is patient safe?
- Stabilization
- Identify needs and concerns
- Assist with needs and concerns
- Connect patient with support
- Educate about stress reactions and promote coping techniques
- Connect patient with local collaborative services
IV. Protocol: Suicidality Screening by Friends and Family
- Be alert to red flag signs and symptoms
- See Suicidality for risk factors
- Comments of "being a burden" or "better off dead"
- Isolation or social withdrawal
- ASK directly about Suicide
- Questions about Suicide do not increase Suicide Risk and may decrease distress (knowing others care)
- Ask "Are you thinking of Killing Yourself?"
- Ask "Can we talk about it?" or "Is there something I can do to help right now?"
- Ask "Do you have a plan?" or "Have you thought how and when you would kill yourself?"
- LISTEN
- Avoid giving advice or interrupting
- Listen calmly in a non-judgmental way
- Respond "This sounds very hard. Thank you for trusting me enough to share this"
- Respond "I want you to live. Please let me help you find a way to make things better"
- CONNECT with resources
- Call 911 if imminent danger of person with a plan, commiting Suicide
- Connect patient with National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- See resources below
- https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
- Phone: 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK or 3 digit code: 988)
- References
- (2022) Presc Lett 29(3): 15
V. Resources
- NCTSN Psychological First Aid
- Disaster Distress Help Line
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
- Phone: 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK or 3 digit code: 988)
- Crisis Text Line
- https://www.crisistextline.org/
- Text: 741741